Assalamu alaikum - Ceasefire in Gaza at risk after heavy strikes, dozens killed
Assalamu alaikum. I pray everyone is safe and that Allah grants patience to those suffering. The ceasefire in Gaza looks fragile after Israeli forces launched air strikes across the strip on Sunday, saying they were responding to attacks on their troops.
Palestinian official sources report at least 33 people were killed in dozens of strikes, ending a short period of relative calm since the truce deal praised by some international leaders last week. Israeli aircraft reportedly dropped more than 120 munitions on sites they described as underground military facilities.
Israel said the raids were prompted by gunfire and an anti-tank missile fired at its soldiers in Rafah in southern Gaza, and that two Israeli soldiers were killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops to “act forcefully,” and an Israeli security official said aid deliveries to Gaza would be suspended - a move that could seriously worsen the famine and humanitarian suffering there.
Hamas denied carrying out any attacks or breaking the ceasefire, accusing Israel of continuing to violate the agreement and of inventing excuses for its actions. The group also said it found another body of an Israeli hostage to hand over under the deal; Israel says the transfer of bodies is taking too long. Under the truce, some bodies are still waiting to be returned.
A Hamas delegation, led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, reportedly arrived in Cairo to press mediators and other Palestinian groups on implementing the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli officials said the strikes began in the Rafah area, targeting tunnel shafts and military structures, and later hit other parts of the Gaza Strip including Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Netanyahu has said the Rafah border crossing with Egypt will stay closed until Israel’s demands are met, which risks blocking life-saving aid.
Both sides warned of further escalation. The Israeli military told residents to stay west of a withdrawal line and warned of stronger responses outside those areas. Tensions have been high for days over disputes about returning the bodies of hostages and delays in humanitarian access.
There were also reports of strikes in northern Gaza, with at least two Palestinians killed in Jabalia and others killed in Zuwaida and Nuseirat, according to medical sources cited by Palestinian media. Ambulance teams reportedly could not reach some sites because they were declared dangerous by the Israeli army.
Separately, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel returned the remains of 15 more Palestinians via the Red Cross, bringing the total handed over to 150; 25 of those have been identified so far.
Violence was reported elsewhere too, with Palestinian sources saying settlers forced farmers off land in the West Bank and set vehicles on fire, and that bulldozers destroyed a Palestinian-owned plot in East Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Israeli political figures reacted with calls for a stronger military response.
Please keep the victims and their families in your duas. May Allah protect the innocent, grant relief to the wounded, and guide leaders toward a just and lasting peace. Jazakum Allahu khairan.
https://www.thenationalnews.co