On Wednesday, Israel’s military announced that it had initiated strikes on Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip following a reported breach of the ceasefire.
“Earlier today, several terrorists fired upon an area where IDF soldiers were conducting operations in Khan Younis. This act represents a violation of the ceasefire agreement,” stated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In retaliation, the IDF confirmed, “We have started targeting Hamas terrorist sites across the Gaza Strip,” while assuring that no Israeli soldiers sustained injuries from the incident.
The military further emphasized that “IDF troops in the Southern Command remain stationed in the region and will continue operations to eliminate any immediate threats,” according to a statement from Israel’s military.
Images show smoke rising over the residential zones in eastern Gaza following the new strikes by Israeli forces on November 18, 2025. (Photo by Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was implemented on October 10.
The IDF also said Monday that it struck “terrorists operating in a Hamas training compound in the Ain al-Hilweh area in southern Lebanon.”
“The compound was used by Hamas terrorists for training and exercises in order to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, several steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians,” it added.
Personnel work at the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC), a command center where the U.S. and allied forces coordinate with Israeli counterparts to monitor the truce in Gaza, in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Ahikam Seri/AFP via Getty Images)
The same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on neighboring nations to join in the Jewish state’s fight to expel Hamas out of the region.
“Israel extends its hand in peace and prosperity to all of our neighbors and calls on them to normalize relations with Israel and join us in expelling Hamas and its supporters from the region,” Netanyahu’s office wrote on X.
Damage is seen in the city of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The statement follows the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) endorsement of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The council adopted the plan, which would end the war and deploy an international stabilization force, on Monday.
