Violence in Gaza threatens ceasefire between Israel and Hamas: NPR

Hamas members search underground for the bodies of Israeli hostages in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Israel also said on Sunday that it had exchanged attacks with Hamas in the Rafah area, threatening the fragile ceasefire.

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The Israeli government said it responded to attacks launched by Hamas activists on its forces in the southern Gaza Strip, in a sudden escalation of violence that threatens to derail the fragile ceasefire that took effect less than a week ago.

Israel Defense Forces He said Sunday The “terrorists” attacked the Israeli forces operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “issued an order to take strong measures against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a statement. Share on X.

The Israeli military said it struck the area in response to the attacks and also to dismantle tunnel corridors and other structures used by Hamas, describing the violence against its forces as a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

the The IDF later said Hamas said on Sunday that it had begun a series of strikes against Hamas in southern Gaza “in response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today.”

Hamas said in a statement that it is isolated from the rest of its factions in the Rafah area and that it is “not aware” of any violence taking place there, adding that it remains fully committed to the ceasefire agreement, according to a statement. BBC reported. Likewise, Izzat al-Rishq, a Hamas official Israel accused In a statement on Sunday, she accused him of “violating the agreement and fabricating pretexts to justify his crimes.”

Hamas is carrying out a deadly crackdown on rival militias and clans in Gaza, but it is unclear whether Sunday’s violence is related to that. the The US State Department said It said on Saturday that it had “credible reports” that Hamas was planning to launch an attack against Palestinian civilians in violation of the terms of the ceasefire.

Also on Saturday, an Israeli attack on a bus in Gaza City killed a family of 11 who were returning to visit their destroyed home, according to Gaza health authorities. The family includes seven children, the youngest of whom is five years old.

Israeli forces said the bus was beyond the yellow line that Gazans were warned not to cross, and that the forces faced an “imminent threat” before firing a tank shell at the bus.

The Gaza media office accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement 47 times since the ceasefire entered into force Guardian I mentioned.

Ceasefire agreement The US-brokered negotiations included the release of all 20 surviving Israeli hostages who were being held in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks more than two years ago. in contrast, Israel launched Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas also returned the bodies of some Israeli hostages killed in Gaza. Israeli officials identified the bodies of the two hostages returning from Gaza late Saturday as Ronen Engel and Sontaya Okharsari. Engel, 54, was killed while trying to protect his family during the October 7 attacks. Hamas released his wife and daughters in November of that year. Okharsri was a Thai national who was also killed in the October 7 attacks.

16 Israeli hostages remain dead in Gaza, according to the Israeli government.

The Israeli government says 1,144 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023. The two-year war that began in the wake of those attacks has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

NPR’s Rob Schmitz and Jane Arraf contributed reporting.

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