Gaza Ceasefire Under Threat as Israel and Hamas Exchange Accusations of Violations

The Gaza ceasefire, implemented on October 10 under the mediation of US President Donald Trump, faced significant challenges on its ninth day as tensions escalated between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli military forces conducted air strikes in southern Gaza on Sunday, claiming they were responding to attacks by Hamas against their troops. The Israeli army stated that militants fired anti-tank missiles and attacked IDF forces who were dismantling terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area, prompting Israel to retaliate with fighter jet strikes and artillery fire.

Hamas, however, firmly denied breaching the ceasefire agreement. A member of Hamas' political bureau, Izzat Al-Rishq, accused Israel of fabricating "flimsy pretexts" to justify military actions. The group's armed wing emphasized they had "no knowledge" of any confrontations in Rafah and maintained their commitment to upholding the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces to take "strong action against terrorist targets" in Gaza, with his office explicitly accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire terms. Following government meetings, several ministers urged a full resumption of military operations against Hamas.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, known for his right-wing stance, called for Israeli forces to "fully resume fighting in the Strip with all force," describing the expectation that Hamas would adhere to the agreement as "dangerous to our security."

Palestinian witnesses in Rafah described clashes that erupted in areas still under Israeli control. One 38-year-old witness claimed that Hamas fighters had engaged with a local Palestinian gang but were "surprised by the presence of army tanks," after which Israeli forces conducted airstrikes.

The ceasefire agreement, which halted over two years of devastating conflict, outlined a framework for hostage and prisoner exchanges alongside a roadmap for Gaza's future. Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces withdrew beyond the "Yellow Line," maintaining control of approximately half of Gaza, including border areas but not major cities.

In accordance with the agreement, Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and is working on returning the remains of those who died. Most recently, Israel identified two returned bodies as Ronen Engel, a 54-year-old photojournalist and volunteer ambulance driver from Nir Oz kibbutz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai farmworker from Beeri kibbutz who left behind a seven-year-old daughter.

The ongoing conflict, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has resulted in at least 68,159 Palestinian casualties in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with figures considered credible by the United Nations. The data indicates that more than half of those killed were women and children. Since the ceasefire began, the ministry reports 35 Palestinians have died from Israeli fire.

Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel killed 1,221 people, primarily civilians, based on official Israeli figures compiled by AFP.

A contentious issue in implementing the ceasefire has been the recovery of hostage remains. Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah border crossing to the return of all deceased hostages. Netanyahu's office stated that the crossing would "remain closed until further notice" and that its reopening would depend on Hamas fulfilling its obligations to return hostages and bodies.

Hamas has countered that they need time and technical assistance to recover remaining bodies from beneath Gaza's rubble, warning that closing the Rafah crossing would cause "significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains."

Relief agencies have urged the reopening of the Rafah crossing to expedite the delivery of essential supplies including food, fuel, and medicine to Gaza's population. Meanwhile, US peace envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit the Middle East next week to monitor progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement.

As part of the ongoing exchanges, Israel has returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, bringing the total number handed over to 150, according to Gaza's health ministry. Hamas has resisted disarmament efforts and has been working to reestablish control over Gaza since the fighting paused.