Netanyahu says Israel dropped 153 tonnes of bombs Sunday on Gaza

Israeli forces dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on targets in Gaza in response to what it said was a ceasefire breach by the Palestinian group Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament on Oct. 20.

"One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace," Netanyahu told members of the Knesset. "You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today Israel is stronger than ever before."

Israel said on Oct. 19 that it had launched a wave of air strikes against targets in Gaza after two of its soldiers were killed in an attack by Hamas. The Palestinian group denied any knowledge of the attack.

Brussels says sanctions still on table

Meanwhile, the European Union is leaving the door open to sanctioning Israel to maintain leverage to ensure the Gaza ceasefire deal is fully implemented, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Oct. 20.

"The ceasefire has changed the context. That is very clear for everybody," Kaja Kallas said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

"However, unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table".

Brussels proposed measures against Israel including blacklisting ministers and curbing trade ties before a truce deal to halt the war in Gaza was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We don't move with the measures now, but we don't take them off the table either, because the situation is fragile," Kallas said.

She said the EU wanted to see Israel take a raft of steps including "the improvement of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza," handing revenues to the Palestinians, allowing journalists into Gaza and registering NGOs.

Israel had been pushing the EU to ditch the proposed measures if the bloc wants to play a greater role in the peace process.

Even before the ceasefire deal, divisions within the EU's 27 countries meant they were not able to find a majority to take the steps proposed by Brussels.

"The ceasefire in Gaza has just faced its first major stress test," Kallas said.

"Hamas attacks on Palestinian civilians and its refusal to disarm make the ceasefire increasingly fragile."

The EU, the biggest international donor to the Palestinians, is weighing up how it can increase its involvement in post-war Gaza.

Brussels has reactivated a mission to help supervise the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but it is still on hold while the route remains closed.