Israel strikes Gaza and accuses Hamas of violating ceasefire after soldiers killed
CNN
By Tal Shalev, Mostafa Salem, Oren Liebermann, and Ibrahim Dahman
(CNN) — Israel launched a wave of strikes on Gaza and blamed Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire after two Israeli soldiers were killed in the enclave on Sunday.
The truce that ended months of fighting is in its second week and has seen previous accusations from both sides of violations but is now facing its most serious test yet.
An Israeli military official said Hamas attacked Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, prompting Israel to carry out strikes in the area.
Hamas fired towards Israeli forces beyond the Yellow Line – the line behind which Israeli troops have withdrawn according to the ceasefire deal – in three separate incidents Sunday, according to another military official.
Hamas said in a statement Sunday that it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement. Its military wing, Al Qassam Brigades (AQB), denied knowledge of “any events or clashes” in Rafah and said they are committed to the truce “throughout all areas of the Gaza Strip.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) identified the soldiers who were killed Sunday as Major Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sergeant Itay Yavetz, 21. The deaths are the first IDF casualties since the ceasefire took effect on October 11.
Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people in several parts of Gaza on Sunday, according to data from Gaza’s hospitals.
The Gaza Hospitals Statistics Group recorded four deaths at al-Shifa hospital, the enclave’s largest medical facility in Gaza City, as well as 23 at al-Awda hospital, 12 at al-Aqsa, and five at Nasser hospital.
Aid deliveries continue
Deliveries of aid into Gaza will continue on Monday after Israel announced they would be halted on Sunday, a senior Israeli official told CNN.
The quick announcement of the continuation of aid – only hours after the declared pause – means the deliveries of humanitarian aid may not have been affected.
Israel’s continuation of aid is an indication of the goal of maintaining key components of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas. But the Rafah Crossing will remain closed, the official said, as Israel awaits the return of the remaining hostage bodies.
Earlier this year, a UN-backed initiative said parts of Gaza were facing famine and the truce raised hopes of a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory.
Following Sunday’s clashes, Netanyahu held a security consultation with Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chiefs on Sunday, instructing them to “act forcefully” against “terrorist targets” in Gaza.
“Hamas will pay a heavy price for every shooting and violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood, the intensity of our responses will continue to increase,” Katz said in a statement.
Netanyahu faces pressure to respond to any violations from far-right parties supporting his coalition.
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, described the resumption of aid as a “shameful backdown.”
All this on a day when Hamas murdered two IDF soldiers, and continues to violate the agreement and refuses to hand over all the bodies of our fallen,” he wrote on X, “Enough of the backdowns.”
Amid the renewed strikes, the AQB said it found the body of another Israeli hostage during ongoing search operations, “and will hand it over today if field conditions permit.”
The AQB warned that any escalation by the Israeli military would “hinder search, excavation, and the recovery of bodies.”
Hamas clashes with rivals
While much is unknown about the incident in Rafah, it occurred on Sunday morning as Hamas said its internal Rada’a security force was targeting a “hideout” of an Israel-backed militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab. In June, Israel confirmed it was arming several such militias in an attempt to counter Hamas.
Muhammad Shehada, a Gaza expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said these militias now operate from within Israeli-occupied areas in Gaza from which they “descend on the other half of Gaza, carry out attacks, then go run back to those protected areas.”
Since the ceasefire began last week, Hamas has carried out what it has called a “security campaign” aimed at “collaborators, mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and those cooperating with the Zionist enemy throughout the Gaza Strip.”
The internal clashes have created a volatile security situation in the battered enclave with violence erupting between Hamas and rival groups in several areas across Gaza, including an incident that culminated in an apparent public execution of eight people in a square in Gaza City while large crowds were watching.
Sunday’s incident brought further strain to the ceasefire, with the next steps still unresolved.
Israel has shot and killed Palestinians it accused of approaching the Yellow Line, in what Hamas has called a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire commitments. Israel has also accused Hamas of delaying the return of all of the deceased hostages held in Gaza as required by the deal, and has closed a key border crossing until further notice.
Hamas has returned 12 of the 28 bodies of deceased hostages in line with the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which went into effect last week. All 12 have now been formally identified.
This story has been updated with additional information and context.
CNN’s Dana Karni, Sophie Tanno, and Abeer Salman contributed to this story.
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