After a day marked by a Palestinian ambush and subsequent deadly Israeli bombings, the Gaza Strip experienced another tense day on Wednesday, with the truce under constant scrutiny, facing either its collapse or its continuation. As they have done since the truce began three weeks ago, Israel and Hamas are once again accusing each other of violating an agreement that, as expected, is facing more difficulties on the ground than it did in the 20-point document proposed by US President Donald Trump.
Thus, after several hours of calm since announcing the resumption of the ceasefire, the Israeli army said it attacked an arms depot this afternoon in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming that the weapons were going to be used to carry out an imminent terrorist attack against its soldiers and its country. Shortly afterward, the Islamist group said that a Palestinian was killed in the attack, which it described as a"clear violation of the truce agreement."
Tuesday's Palestinian armed attack on an Israeli-controlled area in Rafah (southern Gaza Strip) resulted in the death of one army soldier, prompting a retaliatory bombardment throughout the day until 10:00 AM on Wednesday. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, 104 Palestinians were killed, including 46 children, and 253 wounded in the enclave, which for a few hours reverted to the nightmare of the pre-agreement era.
The Islamist group denounced the bombings as an"insidious escalation against our people" and accused the US of giving "political cover" to Benjamin Netanyahu's government to "continue its crimes." Israel, for its part, said it attacked"dozens of terrorist targets and terrorists, including 30 terrorists who held command positions, in response to Hamas's violations."
In this regard, Trump indicated that the truce was not in danger."As I understand it, an Israeli soldier was killed. So the Israelis responded, and rightly so. When that happens, they have to respond," declared the architect of the ceasefire. Another key figure in the agreement, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, admitted that both the attack on Israeli troops and the subsequent Israeli airstrikes were"very disappointing and frustrating for us."
While Hamas denounces that Israel continues to carry out attacks, especially in the area of the agreed-upon Yellow Line, and disassociates itself from the armed actions carried out against the troops, the Israeli government accuses it of carrying out ambushes despite the truce and, above all, of not complying with the agreement regarding the hostages by not yet returning the 13 remaining bodies held captive since the attack of October 7, 2023.
The volatility of the situation challenges US-led international efforts to stabilize and protect both the spirit and the letter of the agreement, which constitutes the first phase of the truce. Hamas knows that if it moves toward the second phase, which involves returning all the remaining bodies, it will have to surrender its weapons, something that contradicts its very nature, first in the eyes of Israel and then in the eyes of militias opposed to its regime. But if it doesn't move forward, it risks the agreement collapsing and, consequently, the immediate resumption of the offensive by Netanyahu's cabinet, which has warned that Hamas will be disarmed by hook or by crook.
