Palestinian group, in turn, said it was committed to the ceasefire and denied having responsibility for the episode
MANOELLA SMITH, GUILHERME BOTACINI AND RENAN MARRA – Less than three weeks after the start of a celebrated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin
The Gaza Civil Defense, controlled by Hamas, said it had recorded three airstrikes. The offensive, which represents the most serious episode in the region since the establishment of the truce, killed at least 30 people, according to local authorities. Deaths were reported in Khan Yunis in the south and Gaza City in the north.
Tel Aviv argued that its troops first came under fire from Hamas in Rafah, southern Gaza, while carrying out engineering operations. He also added that they were respecting the so-called “yellow line”, which demarcates the country’s military retreat as established in the truce agreement. According to Israeli forces, the faction used snipers and an anti-tank projectile in the action.
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The Palestinian group, in turn, said it was committed to the ceasefire and denied having responsibility for the episode. The war of versions did not contain Netanyahu, who reportedly made the decision to restart the attacks after consultations with defense authorities. In response, the armed wing of Hamas stated that it will postpone the delivery of the body of a hostage that was scheduled for this Thursday (30).
On the 19th, the Israeli Army announced the death of two soldiers and also stated that teams had been the target of attacks in the south of the territory. At the time, Hamas also absolved itself of responsibility, denying knowledge of any action there. The episode was the first major test of the ceasefire agreement struck by Donald Trump. Israel responded with specific attacks and, a few hours later, stated that it would once again respect the truce.
Despite the crisis, American Vice President JD Vance stated that “the ceasefire stands”. According to him, “small clashes may happen”, but the “president’s peace agreement will endure”. Trump, on a trip to Asia, had not commented on the new episodes of violence until the last update of this text.
In any case, Tuesday’s attacks highlight the fragility of the truce despite efforts to end the conflict, which began after Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people on October 7, 2023. The attacks began the Israeli reaction, which killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, also controlled by the faction.
And questions related to the maintenance of the agreement have increased in recent days with the accusation, made by the Israelis, that Hamas has faked the recovery of the remains of hostages.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office stated that Hamas delivered, the day before, a coffin with part of the remains of Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had already been partially recovered by the Army, instead of the remains of hostages that have not yet been returned. Tzarfati was kidnapped during the Nova music festival, at which 364 people were killed in the October 7 attacks.
Netanyahu stated that he would hold a meeting to discuss a possible response. Extremist ministers, such as Bezalel Smotrich (Finance) and Itamar Ben-Gvir (National Security), asked the prime minister to adopt a tough stance – a position that, added to the accusation of attacks on the Army, appears to have prevailed.
The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, the main association of families of those kidnapped, accused Hamas of having broken the ceasefire agreement in force since the 10th and also called on the government to act “firmly against these violations”.
Hamas, in turn, stated that it was complying with the terms of the agreement and accused Netanyahu of looking for excuses to escape his obligations.
The impasse further strains the peace plan, which is in danger of collapsing after accusations of violations from both sides. Under the agreement, Hamas released all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held during the war, while Israel withdrew its troops and suspended its offensive.
Of the 28 corpses of hostages that remained in the hands of Hamas, 15 were returned to the Israeli authorities and were able to be laid to rest by their families. The terrorist group claims it is having difficulty recovering the remaining 13, arguing that the bodies are under the rubble of buildings hit by bombings in Tel Aviv.
On Sunday (26), the Israeli government announced that it authorized teams from the Red Cross and Egypt to enter Gaza and search for the bodies of dead hostages in regions beyond the “yellow line”.
The searches intensified with the arrival of the machines. This Tuesday, excavators were working in Khan Yunis and also in Nuseirat, further north, while masked members of Hamas secured the area. It is believed that part of the bodies are in the network of tunnels built by the faction, which extends throughout the territory.
In the West Bank, territory militarily occupied by Israel, Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians this Tuesday. Hamas claims that two of them were members of the terrorist group.
According to the Israeli Army, the military fired at Palestinians who were allegedly planning attacks in the Jenin refugee camp area. The city serves as a base for Islamic Jihad, a terrorist faction allied with Hamas.
