Netanyahu orders new military operations as humanitarian aid deliveries are halted. Hamas denies breaking the ceasefire.
Soldecanarias.net / Gaza / Tel Aviv
The fragile truce between Israel and Hamas suffered a major blow on Sunday, following an anti-tank missile attack on an Israeli unit in the Rafah area that left two soldiers dead. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a renewed airstrike campaign across several areas of the Gaza Strip and ordered the suspension of humanitarian aid deliveries «until further notice.»
Israeli authorities accused Hamas of «blatantly violating» the ceasefire by attacking troops in the south of the enclave—an area under Israeli military supervision according to the terms of the agreement. The Islamist militia, however, denied breaching the pact and claimed it remains committed to the truce.
As the conflict escalates, hospitals such as Al Aqsa in Deir al Balah are overwhelmed with casualties. According to local sources and the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, at least 36 people have been killed in the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes, including civilians.
In a televised statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israel would act with «strength and determination» against «terrorist targets» in Gaza. Though he made no direct mention of the ceasefire, he made it clear that his government would not tolerate what he described as Hamas’s attempts to «reestablish its control» over the region.
The hostilities have also disrupted the flow of food, medicine, and fuel to Gaza’s population, which was already living in extreme conditions. However, Israeli diplomatic sources quoted by local media said that aid deliveries could resume once the bombing ends.
The international community is watching this new surge in violence with concern, fearing a complete collapse of the recently established ceasefire.
