Israel resumes airstrikes in Gaza, claims Hamas violated ceasefire

Gaza's nine-day-old ceasefire came under strain Sunday after the Israeli army launched air strikes in the territory's south in response to attacks it claimed were carried out by Hamas against its forces.

Hamas denied involvement in the attacks and said it was adhering to the truce, with one official accusing Israel of devising "pretexts" to resume its war on Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces to take "strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip", his office said in a statement, accusing Hamas of "a ceasefire violation".

The uneasy truce in the Palestinian territory, brokered by US President Donald Trump and taking effect on 10 October, brought to a halt Israel's devastating two-year onslaught.

The deal established the outline for captive and prisoner exchanges, and was proposed alongside an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future.

It came under immediate strain after Israel violated the ceasefire by killing dozens of Palestinian civilians. On Saturday, Israeli forces targeted a bus in Gaza City, killing 11 people.

On Sunday, a statement from Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, reaffirmed the group's commitment to the ceasefire and said Israel "continues to breach the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes".

Israel has insisted that Hamas was responsible for the attack.

"Earlier today, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF (army) forces operating to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area in accordance with the terms of the agreement," the military said in a statement.

"The IDF responded with air strikes by fighter jets and artillery fire, targeting the Rafah area," the statement said.

Earlier, an Israeli army official said Hamas fighters carried out "multiple attacks" on troops in territory under Israel's control.

Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.

One witness, a 38-year-old man who asked not to be identified by name, said that Hamas had been fighting a local Palestinian gang known as Abu Shabab but that its forces were "surprised by the presence of army tanks".

"The air force conducted two strikes from the air," he said.

Israel's far-right demands war

The clashes broke out as Netanyahu held meetings with government ministers. Afterwards, far-right ministers demanded a resumption of the war.

Extremist national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged the army to "fully resume fighting in the Strip with all force".

"The illusion that Hamas will repent, or even abide by the agreement it signed, is proving - as expected - dangerous to our security," he added, calling for Hamas to be "completely annihilated".

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on social media: "War!"

US peace envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in the Middle East next week to monitor progress in the ceasefire deal.

Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces continue to occupy more than half of Gaza, including its borders. Troops withdrew from the enclave's urban centres last week.

Hamas in turn has released 20 surviving captives and is in the process of returning the remaining bodies of those who have died.

The war, triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,159 people in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.

Israel has killed 35 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into effect,  the ministry has said.

Rafah crossing closed

On Sunday, Israel identified the latest two bodies returned overnight as Ronen Engel and Thai farmworker Sonthaya Oakkharasri.

Engel, a resident of Nir Oz kibbutz, was abducted from his home aged 54 and killed during the 7 October attacks, with his body taken to Gaza.

He was a photojournalist and volunteer ambulance driver for Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross in the southern Negev region.

A farmworker at the Beeri kibbutz, Oakkharasri was also killed in the attack on Israel and his body held by Hamas in Gaza. He had a seven-year-old daughter.

Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total number handed over to 150, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.

The issue of captive bodies still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the ceasefire implementation, with Israel linking the reopening of the main gateway into the territory to the recovery of all of the deceased.

Relief agencies have called for the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to be reopened to speed the flow of food, fuel and medicines.

Hamas has so far resisted disarming and, since the pause in fighting, has moved to reassert its control over Gaza.

The group has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies from under the rubble.

Netanyahu's office said he had "directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice".

"Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework," it said.

Hamas warned late Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing would cause "significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains".

(AFP and TNA staff)