Israel accuses Hamas of attacking Israeli forces in Gaza in first major test of ceasefire
By Tal Shalev, Mostafa Salem, Oren Liebermann, and Ibrahim Dahman
(CNN) — Israel says it has responded to an attack on Israeli forces in southern Gaza with airstrikes in the area of Rafah, the first major test of the US-brokered ceasefire.
An Israeli military official says Hamas attacked Israeli forces in Rafah with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, prompting Israel to carry out strikes in the area – nine days after the ceasefire began.
The Israeli source familiar with the matter said Israeli forces suffered casualties as a result of the attacks. The incident occurred beyond the Yellow Line – the initial Israeli withdrawal boundary outlined in the ceasefire agreement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security consultation on Sunday morning with defense minister Israel Katz and military chiefs following the incident. Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, called on Netanyahu to resume the war in Gaza “in full force.”
Hamas has not yet commented on the accusations but a senior official in the group, Izzat Al-Rishq, said shortly after on Telegram that the militants remain committed to the ceasefire agreement, and accused Israel of “fabricating weak pretexts to justify its crimes.”
While much is unknown about the latest incident, 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 the same area in Rafah. 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.
Hamas and Israel have accused each other violating the nascent ceasefire.
Israel has shot and killed Palestinians it claimed were 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.
This story has been updated with additional information and context.
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