The ceasefire agreement in Gaza was shaken on Sunday after the Israeli military announced it had launched airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip in response to Hamas attacks on its positions. The movement denied the claim.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday instructed security forces to"take forceful action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip," accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire.

But Hamas responded that it was committed to the ceasefire and that it was unaware of any clashes in Rafah.

A ceasefire in Gaza took effect on October 10, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, after a devastating war that lasted more than two years following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas handed over 20 living hostages on the 13th of this month in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released by the Hebrew state.

But the Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday:"Earlier today, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire at IDF forces operating to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement."

He added,"The IDF responded with airstrikes using fighter jets and artillery fire, targeting the Rafah area to eliminate the threat, and destroyed several tunnels and military facilities where terrorist activity was detected."

Smotrich: “It’s war!”

A witness told AFP,"Warplanes carried out two raids on Rafah. There are no details about any casualties or injuries. The area is under Israeli military control."

Another witness said,"Hamas fighters targeted a group affiliated with Yasser Abu Shabab (an opponent of Hamas) in southeast Rafah, and were surprised by the presence of Israeli army tanks."

The witness added: "It appears that a clash took place. I don't know exactly. The air force carried out two airstrikes on the area, but there are no details."

Meanwhile, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, confirmed on Sunday the movement's commitment to the ceasefire agreement with Israel, denying any knowledge of any clashes in Rafah.

"We affirm our full commitment to implementing everything that has been agreed upon, most notably a ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip," she said in a statement via Telegram.

She added,"We are not aware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the control of the occupation, and contact with our remaining groups there has been cut off since the war resumed in March."

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, accused Israel of violating the agreement.

He said:"The Zionist occupation is the one that continues to violate the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts."

Israeli officials quickly reacted, such as Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister, who wrote on the website “X”: “It’s war!”

Earlier, Israel announced that it had identified the bodies of two hostages handed over by Hamas as part of the agreement, bringing the number of remains handed over by the movement to 12.

According to Israeli authorities, the first remains belong to Israeli Ronen Engel, and the second to Thai Sontaya Okkarsri, both of whom were kidnapped in the October 7, 2023, attack.

Netanyahu's office announced again on Sunday that Israel would not make"any compromises" and would spare no effort "until all the hostages killed are returned."

Israel is demanding the return of the remains of all hostages before allowing the opening of the Rafah crossing, which is essential for the entry of aid into the stricken Strip.

Hamas says the continued closure of the crossing is hindering the entry of equipment needed to search for the remains of the hostages among the rubble.

“A tremendous task”

On Saturday, Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the first senior UN official to visit the Gaza Strip since the cessation of military operations, said,"There is a tremendous task to be accomplished."

"I came here seven or eight months ago. Most of these buildings were still standing. Now, it's absolutely horrific to see so much of the city reduced to rubble," Fletcher told AFP in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, where he saw the extent of the destruction.

The UN official added,"We now have a massive 60-day plan to increase food supplies, distribute one million meals daily, begin rebuilding the health sector, set up winter tents, and return hundreds of thousands of children to school."

Across Gaza, rescue workers are working to retrieve the bodies of Palestinians from the rubble, while Hamas seeks to extract the remains of Israeli hostages it is scheduled to hand over to the Red Cross under the ceasefire agreement.