TEL AVIV/GAZA (dpa-AFX) – The laboriously negotiated ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas has survived its first serious test. After air strikes, Israel announced that it now wanted to stick to the agreement again: On the instructions of the political leadership and after a series of serious attacks in response to the violations by the Islamist Hamas, the army had “begun to re-enforce the ceasefire,” it said in a message distributed on Telegram on Sunday evening.
At the same time, the military warned that it would respond decisively to any violation. The army had previously announced on Sunday that two soldiers had been killed in an attack on its troops in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to media reports, the Israeli Air Force then bombed dozens of targets in the coastal strip.
In total, 44 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks on Sunday, according to several hospitals. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, a journalist and a child were among the dead.
Attacking Israeli troops with rocket-propelled grenades
The army announced on Sunday morning that soldiers in the south of the Gaza Strip had been shot at with, among other things, a rocket-propelled grenade. In the north of the Gaza Strip, armed men approached Israeli soldiers and were shot. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered the new attacks in the coastal strip.
Hamas denies allegations
However, Hamas’s military wing denied any responsibility for the attacks on Israeli soldiers. “We reiterate our full commitment to implement everything that has been agreed,” said a statement from the Kassam Brigades. This applies especially to the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip.
Attack behind the “yellow line”
According to the military, the attacks occurred in an Israeli-controlled area east of the “yellow line.” The army had withdrawn behind these as part of the agreed ceasefire.
In a statement, Isat al-Rischek, a member of the Hamas politburo, accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and fabricating “flimsy pretexts” to “justify its crimes.” He accused Netanyahu of trying to avoid his obligations to the mediators because he was under pressure from right-wing extremist coalition partners.
Hamas: negotiator for further talks in Cairo
In the evening, Hamas announced that its negotiators had arrived in Egypt for further talks. The delegation, led by the organization’s foreign chief, Chalil al-Haja, should talk to mediators and Palestinian groups about the further implementation of the ceasefire, the organization wrote on its website.
So far, in addition to the USA, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have also acted as mediators in the conflict. US Vice President JD Vance and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also expected in Israel this week. It was initially unknown whether they would also travel to Egypt.
The ceasefire, which has been in effect since October 10th, is part of a peace plan by US President Donald Trump. Israel and Hamas also agreed on the exchange of hostages and prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.
Bodies of two more Hamas hostages identified
Hamas handed over the bodies of two more hostages on Saturday evening in accordance with the agreement. The hostage families forum said they were Israeli photographer Ronen Engel from Kibbutz Nir Oz and an agricultural worker from Thailand who worked in Israel for eight years.
Engel, a 54-year-old father of three, was killed during the Hamas massacre in the Israeli border area on October 7, 2023. His body was taken to the Gaza Strip. His wife and two of his children had also been kidnapped but were released during a ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian detainees. According to the information, the Thai was also killed on the day of the massacre and kidnapped from Kibbutz Beeri.
This leaves 16 dead hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israel accuses Hamas of deliberate delay. The terrorist organization, however, claims that it is difficult for them to find the bodies because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels. Almost a week ago, 20 hostages who had survived two years of Hamas violence were released.
The Kassam Brigades announced that the body of another hostage had been found. They warned that new attacks by Israel could jeopardize efforts to recover more remains.
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre by Hamas and other terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were abducted. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 67,000 people have been killed in massive Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since then./le/DP/zb