Israel’s military has launched at least 20 air strikes on southern Gaza as the fragile United States-brokered ceasefire intended to end the two-year war comes under threat.
The Israeli army said on Sunday that it conducted a “massive and extensive wave” of strikes on dozens of targets after its troops came under fire from Hamas fighters in Rafah, a charge the Palestinian group denied.
Hours later, the Israeli army issued a statement saying its forces had begun “reinforcing” the truce in Gaza “after a series of significant attacks”. Separately, an Israeli security official told news agencies that the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza was temporarily halted after the alleged Hamas violation.
The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said that several Israeli air raids killed at least 42 Palestinians across the war-devastated enclave on Sunday. Additionally, the Gaza Media Office said that 97 Palestinians have been killed and another 230 wounded since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.
The Israeli army said two of its soldiers had died in “combat” in Gaza on Sunday, and it responded with strikes and artillery fire after its troops were targeted by Hamas. However, Hamas’s armed wing said it is adhering to the ceasefire agreement.