Israeli strike kills one in Gaza as sides trade blame over truce breaches - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip, local health authorities reported, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the fragile truce that has mostly paused two years of fighting.
The Israeli military said its aircraft struck someone it described as a militant posing a threat to its forces. Al-Ahli Hospital said one man was killed near a vegetable market in the Shejaia suburb of Gaza City.
“We still have Hamas pockets in areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Hamas published what it called a list of Israeli ceasefire violations. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, denied that Hamas fighters attacked Israeli soldiers and said they had not violated the truce.
CEASEFIRE NOT COMPLETE
The ceasefire that began on October 10 has quieted most large-scale fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israeli troops have pulled back from some urban positions and more humanitarian aid has been allowed in.
Militants handed over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees held by Israel. Hamas has also agreed to release the bodies of hostages, a process it says is difficult and still incomplete; Israel accuses Hamas of delaying.
But violence has not fully stopped. Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes have killed 236 people in Gaza since the truce began, nearly half of them in one day last week when Israel said it was responding to an attack on its troops. Israel says three soldiers have been killed and that it has targeted many fighters.
Mediation and international role
The ceasefire was mediated by the United States, and both sides have appealed to Washington to intervene over alleged violations. The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with Israel’s military chief during a regional visit to discuss the situation in Gaza.
Netanyahu says Israel reports its actions in Gaza to Washington. Hamas says the US is not doing enough to make sure Israel sticks to the agreement.
Around 200 US troops are based in southern Israel to monitor the truce and assist planning for an international force intended to help stabilize Gaza in later phases of a proposed plan to end the war.
There has been little concrete progress on those next steps so far. Major hurdles remain, including disarmament of Hamas and a timetable for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
May Allah protect the innocent and bring relief and justice to those suffering.
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