The Israeli military said on Sunday that a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an incident that killed two of its soldiers, prompting a wave of airstrikes that killed over 44 Palestinians in blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. While Israel initially blamed Hamas for the incident that killed Israeli soldiers in Rafah, Israel has backtracked on the allegations.
On Sunday night, war crime-accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli soldiers “fell in the difficult incident in Rafah” without naming Hamas. Journalists in the United States said the Trump administration has rebuked Israel’s claim of a Hamas ambush, while some unconfirmed reports suggest an Israeli tank hit an “unexploded IED”.
The devastating consequences were “massive waves” of attack by Israel on displaced Palestinians who were returning to life after two years of genocide. The Gaza Hospital Statistics Group updated that 44 people were killed, with dozens more injured in the airstrikes.
Gaza Media Office, in its statement, said Israeli occupation has committed 80 violations since the ceasefire decision in Gaza, resulting in “97 martyrs” and 230 wounded.
“These violations included crimes of direct gunfire at civilians, deliberate bombardment and targeting, the execution of “fire belts,” and the arrest of a number of civilian citizens — practices that reflect the occupation’s ongoing aggressive approach, its clear desire for field escalation, and its persistent thirst for bloodshed and killing.”
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, by not handing over all the bodies of deceased hostages.
Hamas last week released all 20 living hostages it had been holding, and in the following days, it handed over 12 of the 28 deceased captives. The Palestinian group has cited the difficulties due to the havoc Israel’s genocide has caused in the strip for the delay.
On Sunday, Al-Qassam Brigades said it located one body during ongoing search operations.
“We intend to hand over the body today if field conditions permit. The Brigades emphasise that any Zionist escalation will impede search, excavation, and recovery efforts, leading to delays in the occupation’s retrieval of its dead bodies,” their statement in Arabic translate.
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