Ceasefire Renewal in Gaza: Tensions Rise as Israeli Airstrikes Claim 26 Lives

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Israel says the Gaza ceasefire has resumed after it carried out deadly strikes in response to an earlier attack that killed two of its soldiers, in the most serious test yet of this month’s US-brokered truce.

Aid into the enclave was set to resume on Monday following US pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt in supplies in response to what it said was a “blatant” violation by Hamas of the truce.

The Israeli strikes killed at least 26 people in Gaza, including at least one woman and one child, according to local residents and health authorities.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets across the enclave, including field commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots, after militants launched an anti-tank missile and fired on its troops, killing two Israeli soldiers.

At least one strike hit a former school sheltering displaced people in the area of Nuseirat, residents said.

The military wing of Hamas has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement, stating it is unaware of any recent conflicts in Rafah and has not communicated with local groups there since March.

A group of Palestinians carrying the body of a person in a street

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, located in northern Gaza, have resulted in multiple fatalities. The bodies of those killed were transported to al-Shifa Hospital. The source for this information is Anadolu, with images provided by Saeed M. M. T. Jaras through Getty.

In response to these developments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has instructed the military to respond decisively to what he claims are breaches of the ceasefire by Hamas.

An Israeli security official said that the transfer of aid into Gaza has been halted until further notice, following what he described as Hamas’s blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

However, Israeli media reported that aid flow would resume on Monday following US pressure.

According to a report from US news outlet Axios, which cites an American official, Israel has communicated to Washington that it plans to reopen a border crossing into Gaza on Monday morning.

Fearing the truce may collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy goods from a main market in Nuseirat, and families left their homes in Khan Younis further south, after airstrikes hit nearby.

The strikes were reminiscent of Israel’s response to what it viewed as serious violations of its ceasefire with Hamas’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah in late 2024, less than a week after it came into effect and after days of mutual accusations of truce breaches, though that ceasefire has since largely held.

Despite these developments, significant challenges remain in achieving lasting peace in Gaza. The ceasefire, which had brought nearly two months of relative tranquility, fell apart in March when Israel launched a series of airstrikes.

Dispute over bodies of hostages

The new ceasefire took effect on 10 October, halting two years of war, but the Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violations of the ceasefire for days.

Israel defence minister Israel Katz said the “yellow line” where Israeli forces had pulled back under the ceasefire agreement would be physically marked and that any violation of the ceasefire or attempt to cross the line would be met with fire.

A white four-wheel drive with red cross decals on it parked on a road in front of destroyed buildings.

A Red Cross vehicle arrives at a site in Khan Younis, Gaza, where Hamas has searched for the remains of Israeli hostages. Source: AP / Abdel Kareem Hana

Hamas detailed what it said was a series of violations by Israel that it says have left 46 people dead and stopped essential supplies from reaching the enclave.

On Saturday, Israel said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which had been expected to be reopened this week, would remain closed and that its reopening would depend on Hamas fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire.

Israel says Hamas is being too slow in handing over bodies of deceased hostages. Hamas last week released all 20 living hostages it had been holding and in the following days has handed over 12 of the 28 deceased captives.

The group says it has no interest in keeping the bodies of remaining hostages and that special equipment is needed to recover corpses buried under rubble.

The Rafah crossing has largely been shut since May 2024. The ceasefire deal also includes the ramping up of aid to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people were determined in August to be affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.

The crossing has in previous ceasefires functioned as a key conduit for humanitarian aid to flow into the enclave.

Although the flow of aid through another crossing had, until Sunday’s decision to halt aid, increased significantly since the ceasefire began, the United Nations says far more is needed.

Key questions of Hamas disarmament, the future governance of Gaza, the make-up of an international “stabilisation force”, and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved.