Gaza Ceasefire Teeters on Edge as Hamas Assaults Spark Israeli Airstrikes in Rafah
In a sharp escalation threatening the already tenuous peace in Gaza, militants from Hamas targeted Israeli forces in Rafah on Sunday, igniting a swift counteroffensive from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The confrontation has cast serious doubt on the endurance of a two-year ceasefire mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, with Israeli leaders convening urgently to address what they term a blatant infraction.
Israeli accounts detail how Hamas operatives unleashed an anti-tank missile strike against IDF engineering units near Rafah in the early hours, followed by gunfire from a tunnel exit in southern Gaza. The assault reportedly triggered the detonation of an improvised explosive device, wounding multiple soldiers. In retaliation, IDF jets and artillery pounded suspected Hamas sites, demolishing several underground tunnels and associated military installations, according to an official IDF statement. “Terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF troops working to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area in line with the agreement,” the military said. “The IDF responded with airstrikes… aiming to neutralise the threat.”
This flare-up marks the second significant clash in Rafah over recent days, as confirmed by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, which reported persistent gunfire exchanges in the city. Al Jazeera, broadcasting from Amman amid its exclusion from Israel and the West Bank, indicated that Hamas fighters were maneuvering to isolate zones controlled by militias aligned with Israel. The Times of Israel described the attackers as “terror operatives” emerging to ambush advancing troops.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has scheduled an emergency security consultation with Defence Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Eyal Zamir to strategize amid the turmoil. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged a full resumption of hostilities, demanding that Netanyahu “destroy Hamas completely.”
The violence extended beyond Gaza, with two Israeli soldiers suffering injuries in Tubas, West Bank, on Saturday evening after Palestinian fighters hurled an explosive device during an IDF raid. The attacker fled, and the wounded personnel received hospital treatment, prompting the IDF to bolster its deployment and seal off town access points. Separately, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces fatally shot 42-year-old Majed Mohammad Dawood during a Nablus operation.
Complicating matters, the U.S. State Department issued a stern alert about “credible reports” of an imminent Hamas assault on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, labeling it a “direct and grave violation” of the truce. Hamas rejected the assertion outright, branding it “Israeli propaganda.”
As hostilities intensified, Hamas delivered two coffins holding the remains of Israeli hostages late Saturday, elevating the count to 12 since the ceasefire’s inception. Israel, in turn, maintained the Rafah border crossing’s closure—seized on the Gaza side in May 2024—citing inadequate Hamas compliance, stranding thousands seeking medical care or family reunions.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza tallied over 68,000 deaths since the conflict’s outbreak in October 2023, alongside thousands unaccounted for. Israel repatriated 15 Palestinian bodies on Saturday, totaling 135. UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher decried much of Gaza as “a wasteland,” highlighting that aid convoys have dwindled well below the 600 trucks per day stipulated in the agreement. Hamas, for its part, leveled accusations of persistent Israeli breaches, claiming at least 38 Palestinian fatalities from strikes since the truce took effect.