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Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching fragile ceasefire in Gaza October 19, 202510:00 AM ET
Hamas members search underground for the bodies of Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Israel said it traded attacks with Hamas in the Rafah area, threatening the fragile ceasefire. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption
toggle caption Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Israel’s government says it has responded to attacks against its troops by Hamas militants in southern Gaza, in a sudden escalation of violence that threatens to derail a fragile ceasefire that has been in effect for less than a week.
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that “terrorists” had attacked Israeli troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “directed that strong action be taken against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a post on X.
The IDF said it struck the area to respond to the attacks and also to dismantle tunnel shafts and other structures used by Hamas, calling the violence against its troops a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
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Hamas said in a statement that it had been cut off from its remaining groups in the Rafah area and was “unaware” of any violence taking place there, and added that it remained fully committed to the ceasefire agreement, the BBC reported.
Both sides have accused each other in recent days of breaking the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the U.S. and included the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza following the October 7th attacks more than two years ago. In exchange, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.