Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Following a sudden and deadly escalation in Gaza, the Israeli military announced late Sunday that it would resume observing the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, after claiming that the Palestinian faction had violated the truce earlier in the day. The move came after Israel launched a series of heavy airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing at least 33 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.
In a statement released Sunday evening, the Israeli military said it had acted under political instructions and launched “significant airstrikes” in response to what it described as breaches of the ceasefire by Hamas. It claimed that Hamas initiated attacks on Israeli forces earlier in the day, prompting retaliation.
“Following a series of concrete strikes, the Israel Defense Forces have begun reinstating the ceasefire agreement that had been violated by Hamas,” the military said. It warned that it would respond with “full force” to any further breaches of the agreement.
However, Hamas denied violating the ceasefire, asserting its continued commitment to the truce and stating it had no knowledge of any clashes in Rafah or elsewhere. The group accused Israel of using alleged violations as a pretext to intensify its military campaign, despite the fragile nature of the recent agreement.
The return to ceasefire came after a volatile day marked by conflicting narratives, cross-border accusations, and high civilian casualties. Israel confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed in Gaza during Sunday’s events. Simultaneously, the Palestinian death toll rose, with 33 people confirmed killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes, many of them reportedly civilians.
The flare-up has raised renewed concerns over the sustainability of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, reached on October 9 under a framework proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The truce, which came into effect the following day, aimed to bring an end to a devastating war that had lasted two years and resulted in over 68,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 170,000 injuries. Infrastructure across the Gaza Strip was left in ruins, with 90 percent reportedly destroyed.
As international pressure mounts to maintain the truce and facilitate humanitarian access, U.S. officials indicated they had been informed by Israel of plans to reopen the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Monday morning. The move, if carried out, could signal a return to the ceasefire’s phased implementation plan, which included humanitarian aid deliveries and prisoner exchanges.
Yet skepticism remains high, especially after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a suspension of all humanitarian aid into Gaza and a complete closure of all crossings, including Rafah, just days earlier. Netanyahu’s stance has drawn sharp criticism and is seen by many observers as a breach of the ceasefire terms, which stipulated the gradual reopening of crossings to allow for aid and civilian relief.
The on-again, off-again enforcement of the ceasefire underscores the volatility of the situation and the fragility of diplomatic efforts. While the Israeli military now claims to be reinstating the ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly, and the political will to sustain peace appears as precarious as ever.
With both sides accusing each other of violations and thousands still displaced, the coming days will be crucial in determining whether the ceasefire can hold or if Gaza is on the brink of another round of conflict.
