Israel accuses Hamas of attacking Israeli soldiers. The military has therefore attacked Hamas positions in the southern Gaza Strip. The terrorist organization denies any responsibility.
The Israeli army has confirmed airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah in response to attacks by Palestinian militants."This morning, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF soldiers," the army said, after which the Israeli army responded with airstrikes, fighter jets, and artillery fire.
The army described the attacks on its forces as a"flagrant violation of the ceasefire" that has been in effect in the Gaza Strip since October 10. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of"violating the ceasefire" and, after consultations with Defense Minister Israel Katz and security officials, ordered the army to"take strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip," his office said.
Israel: Hamas attacked soldiers
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, two Palestinians were killed in the attacks. They were killed in an airstrike in the Jabalia area in the north of the coastal strip. Fighting is also being reported from the south of the Gaza Strip. According to the Reuters news agency, there are reports of explosions and gunfire in Rafah. Eyewitnesses also report heavy tank fire in the town of Abassan near Khan Yunis.
The Israeli military had previously reported that Israeli soldiers had been attacked by Hamas snipers and an RPG."Both incidents occurred in Israeli-controlled territory east of the yellow line," a military official said, referring to the line behind which the Israeli army withdrew after the ceasefire came into effect. No injuries were reported.
Hamas accuses Israel
Hamas's military wing has denied any responsibility for attacks on Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip."We reaffirm our full commitment to implement everything agreed upon," the Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
Isat al-Rishek, a member of the Hamas political bureau, accused Israel in a statement of violating the ceasefire and fabricating"flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes." He claimed that Netanyahu was trying to shirk his obligations to the mediators because he was under pressure from right-wing coalition partners.
Israel's far-right Police Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, had called for a resumption of the war against the organization following reports of Hamas attacks. He called on Netanyahu to order the army to"resume hostilities in the Gaza Strip completely and with full force," as Ben-Gvir wrote on Platform X."The false notions that Hamas will change its stance or even comply with an agreement it signed are, as expected, proving dangerous to our security."
US State Department warning
The US State Department recently warned of a Hamas violation of the ceasefire, citing"credible reports" of an impending attack by the terrorist organization against Palestinian civilians."Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," the statement said. Hamas also rejected the US State Department's allegations as false.
US President Trump had already threatened Hamas on Thursday after the Islamists themselves had distributed images of executions of alleged collaborators with Israel."If Hamas continues to kill people in the Gaza Strip, which was not part of the agreement, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them," he wrote on his online service Truth Social – without specifying what exactly this meant or who would "go in" to the Gaza Strip.
Identity of bodies handed over on Saturday clarified
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have confirmed the identities of the two dead hostages handed over by Hamas on Saturday. Netanyahu's office stated that they were the bodies of Thai farmworker Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Israeli citizen Ronen Engel. Both were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and taken to the Gaza Strip.
Oakkharasri had worked as a farm laborer in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel. His death had already been announced on May 17, 2024—the day he would have celebrated his 31st birthday. Engel, 54, was killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Engel was a photojournalist and volunteer ambulance driver for the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom. His wife and two daughters were also kidnapped at the time, but were released in November 2023 after 52 days of captivity as part of an initial ceasefire agreement.
With the transfer of the two bodies on Saturday, Hamas has now handed over to Israel twelve of a total of 28 dead hostages in the Gaza Strip, whose return it had promised.
