Ceasefire breaks down, Israeli military launches attack on Gaza

The Israeli military launched an attack on Gaza on Sunday, Israeli media reported, dimming hopes that a week-old U.S.-mediated ceasefire would lead to lasting peace in the enclave as Israel traded blame with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli military official said on Sunday that Hamas had carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces inside Gaza, including a rocket-propelled grenade attack and a sniper attack against Israeli soldiers.

“Both of the incidents happened in an Israeli-controlled area…This is a bold violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.

Senior Hamas official Izzat Al Risheq said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group remained committed to the ceasefire, which he accused Israel of repeatedly violating.

Neither Al Risheq nor the Israeli military official made any mention of the reported Israeli strikes in Gaza.

The government media office in Gaza said on Saturday that Israel had committed 47 violations after the ceasefire deal, leaving 38 dead and 143 wounded.

The impact of the Israeli strikes on Sunday, the most serious test since an already fragile ceasefire took effect on October 11, was not immediately clear.

The Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violations of the ceasefire for days, with Israel saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice.

Hamas denies US claims of ‘ceasefire violation’

Hamas today rejected a statement by the US State Department in which it cited “credible information” suggesting an imminent violation of the ceasefire agreement with Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement. Hamas noted that these claims are false.

The State Department stated yesterday, Saturday, that it had “credible information suggesting an imminent violation of the ceasefire by Hamas against the people of Gaza,” stressing that such an act would constitute a “direct and serious violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

Rafah has largely been shut since May 2024. The ceasefire deal also includes the ramping up of aid into the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of people were determined in August to be affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.

Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a dispute over the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligations in turning over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages.

Hamas has returned all 20 live hostages and 12 of the deceased but said the process needs effort and special equipment to recover corpses buried under rubble.

Formidable obstacles to Trump’s plan to end the war still remain. Key questions of Hamas disarming, the governance of Gaza, the make-up of an international “stabilization force”, and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved.

The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Netanyahu says war will end with Hamas disarmament as Rafah crossing closure causes delay

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the war with Hamas will end once the second phase of the ceasefire agreement currently in force in Gaza is completed. This specific phase, he noted, provides for the complete disarmament of Hamas, which is a prerequisite for the definitive end of hostilities.

The second phase also includes the disarmament of Hamas, or more accurately, the demilitarisation of Gaza and, prior to that, the seizure of Hamas’ weapons, the Israeli Prime Minister told Channel 14.

“When this is successfully completed – hopefully the easy way, if not, the hard way – then the war will end,” he added.

Netanyahu, who is currently awaiting trial on corruption charges, announced that he will seek a new term as Prime Minister in the next general election. When asked, “Are you considering being a candidate for Prime Minister in the next elections?”, Netanyahu replied in the affirmative.

As leader of the right-wing Israeli Likud party, Netanyahu holds the record for the longest time spent as Prime Minister of Israel (a total of 18 years, intermittently, since 1996).

Hamas: Closing of the Rafah crossing will delay the handover of hostage remains
Meanwhile, Hamas announced late on Saturday evening that the closure of the Rafah crossing in the southern sector of the Gaza Strip will delay the handover of the remains of the hostages that must be returned to Israel under the ceasefire agreement.

“The prolonged closure of the Rafah crossing (…) blocks the entry of special equipment necessary to locate the people who have disappeared under the rubble (…) and will cause significant delays in the recovery and handover of the bodies,” the statement issued by Hamas read.

Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that the Rafah crossing, in the southern sector of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt, would remain closed ‘until further notice’. The announcement clarified that the opening of the border crossing with Egypt will be considered based on whether Hamas returns the bodies of the hostages and implements the agreed terms.