Israeli strikes kill 15 in Gaza as both sides say the other breached truce

Israel’s subject has launched a question of aerial strikes connected confederate Gaza arsenic the fragile United States-brokered ceasefire intended to extremity the two-year warfare comes nether threat.

The Israeli service said connected Sunday that it was conducting a “massive and extended wave” of strikes connected dozens of targets, conscionable hours aft it struck the metropolis of Rafah, claiming its troops had travel nether occurrence from Hamas fighters successful the area.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4In Gaza, Palestinians reclaim tiny moments of dignity amid the ceasefire
• list 2 of 4Video: UN alleviation coordinator inspects devastation successful Gaza City
• list 3 of 4Israel kills 11 household members successful deadliest Gaza ceasefire violation
• list 4 of 4Gaza’s traumatised children urgently request the anticipation acquisition offers

An Israeli information authoritative besides told quality agencies that the transportation of humanitarian assistance into Gaza would beryllium halted “until further notice” aft the alleged Hamas ceasefire violation.

Gaza’s Civil Defence bureau said a fig of Israeli aerial raids had killed astatine slightest 15 Palestinians since the greeting crossed the war-devastated enclave.

The Israeli service said it responded with strikes and artillery occurrence aft its troops were targeted by Hamas. However, Hamas’s equipped helping said it is adhering to the ceasefire agreement.

“We person nary cognition of immoderate incidents oregon clashes taking spot successful the Rafah area, arsenic these are reddish zones nether the occupation’s control, and interaction with the remaining groups of ours determination has been chopped disconnected since the warfare resumed successful March of this year,” the Qassam Brigades, the equipped helping of Hamas, said successful a connection connected Sunday.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that Palestinians are “very concerned” astir the abrupt escalation.

“Fear and panic are dominating the country among radical successful Gaza arsenic Israel’s subject launched much than 20 aerial strikes. We’ve been approached by people, including women and children, who are asking america if the warfare is backmost on,” Mahmoud said.

“Some said, ‘Now that Israel has got the captives back, they’re backmost astatine sidesplitting us.’ That’s the benignant of sentiment we’re hearing.”

Israeli strikes successful the southbound came arsenic aesculapian sources astatine Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Hospital told Al Jazeera that 5 Palestinians had been killed and an unspecified fig wounded successful an Israeli onslaught connected az-Zawayda successful cardinal Gaza.

Three Palestinians were besides killed and others wounded successful an Israeli onslaught connected the Nuseirat exile camp, a aesculapian root astatine al-Awda Hospital told Al Jazeera, portion earlier, astatine slightest 2 Palestinians were killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught successful bluish Gaza, the Wafa quality bureau reported.

‘Mood changed’ successful Israel

Israel’s strikes came aft the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with information heads and directed the subject to instrumentality “strong action” against immoderate ceasefire violations.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said that Israeli media reports suggested that Israel was acting successful Rafah to support equipped proxies successful Gaza it had supported passim the war, amid fears they were facing reprisals from Hamas since the ceasefire.

“There were reports that possibly Hamas fighters were trying to onslaught that militia successful Rafah,” she said.

Odeh said that erstwhile reports of the clashes successful Rafah surfaced successful Israel, the temper determination changed “almost immediately”.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said connected X that helium wanted the Israeli service to “fully resume combat successful the Gaza Strip with maximum force”. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted: “War!”. And Amichai Chikli, the outspoken curate of diaspora affairs, said: “As agelong arsenic Hamas exists, determination volition beryllium war.”

Meanwhile, absorption person and erstwhile subordinate of Israel’s information council, Benny Gantz, said each options should stay connected the array for Israel, “including a instrumentality to subject manoeuvring”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, expert Yossi Mekelberg said the strikes underlined the fragility of the ceasefire agreement.

“We said each on that this ceasefire, it’s not the implicit extremity of what we person witnessed implicit the past 2 years,” said Mekelberg, elder consulting chap with Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “It’s a precise fragile ceasefire, and tin tilt successful 1 mode oregon another.”

Hamas rejects US claim

Earlier, the US State Department alleged it had “credible reports” indicating that Hamas would imminently interruption the ceasefire woody with Israel – claims Hamas rejected.

“This planned onslaught against Palestinian civilians would represent a nonstop and sedate usurpation of the ceasefire statement and undermine the important advancement achieved done mediation efforts,” the section said successful a connection connected Saturday.

In response, Hamas issued a connection saying the US allegations were mendacious and “fully align with the misleading Israeli propaganda and supply screen for the continuation of the occupation’s crimes and organised aggression” against the Palestinians successful Gaza.

Hamas accused Israel of supporting equipped groups operating successful Israeli-controlled areas.

The radical besides called connected Washington to unit Israel to halt supporting the gangs and “providing them a harmless haven”.

Remains of returned captives identified

The strikes successful confederate Gaza came arsenic Israel identified the remains of 2 captives released by Hamas overnight, and the Palestinian radical said talks to motorboat the 2nd signifier of ceasefire negotiations person begun.

According to a ceasefire program brokered by US President Donald Trump, the negotiations volition see disarming Hamas and the constitution of an internationally backed authorization to administer the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu’s bureau said the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel, a begetter of 3 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai cultivation idiosyncratic killed astatine Kibbutz Be’eri.

The remains of 12 of the 28 captives’ bodies inactive successful Gaza person truthful acold been returned to Israel, which is pressuring Hamas to instrumentality more.

Hamas says it is committed to the presumption of the ceasefire deal, including the handover of the remaining captive remains, but it needs assistance and dense machinery to find and retrieve bodies trapped nether the rubble pursuing Israeli strikes that person decimated Gaza.

It besides said the Israeli military’s continuing power of definite parts of Gaza person slowed the betterment of the bodies.