Israel will respect the ceasefire and stop attacks on the Gaza Strip. This was announced today by the authorities in the country, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered air strikes on the Gaza Strip late last night. The local administration, which is under the control of Hamas, reports that at least 90 people were killed in Gaza City and elsewhere. The Israeli government said that the attacks were in response to an attack by Hamas on soldiers from the Israeli army.
US President Donald Trump also said that "as far as I know, Hamas killed an Israeli soldier” and believes that Israel responded correctly. According to him, however, this does not threaten the peace agreement.
Vance: "minor clashes expected"
Earlier, US Vice President J.D. Vance also commented on the situation in the Middle East. According to him, the ceasefire has not been violated. "However, this does not mean that there will not be minor clashes from time to time", Vance said.
The Israeli television channel N12 reports that armed Palestinians attacked a military unit in Rafah, using snipers. The Israeli army announced that a 37-year-old reservist was killed in the attack. Hamas insists that it is not responsible for the attack on the soldiers. These claims cannot be verified at this time, ARD writes. According to Israeli media, however, Hamas intends to stick to the ceasefire despite the latest events.
There have been many incidents since the ceasefire was announced
The ceasefire has been violated many times since it came into effect on October 10. According to health authorities in the enclave, more than 90 Palestinians have been killed since then. Just over a week ago, two Israeli soldiers were killed by an anti-tank missile. Israel also accuses Hamas of delaying the handover of the remains of the remaining hostages. On Monday, for example, Hamas handed over to Israel the body of a man who Netanyahu claims has already been returned and buried.
Initially, Israeli authorities believed that the killed hostage had been handed over in accordance with the agreement. However, forensic tests revealed that the remains were those of Ofir Tzarfati, whose remains were found by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip two years earlier and returned to Israel. Netanyahu described the incident as a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement. He added that the government would meet with security chiefs "to discuss the steps that Israel will take in response to the violations".
Problems with the return of hostage bodies
In response to the new Israeli attacks, Hamas announced that it would postpone the return of the body of another killed hostage. The armed group said that Israel had violated the ceasefire and that the bodies of two more hostages had been found. All of them being returned to Israel was part of the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli army earlier released a drone video showing Hamas members faking the discovery of a body in the rubble. The video shows three men carrying what appears to be a white body bag from inside a collapsed building and placing it in a pit. They then shovel the bag into the ground and cover it completely with large rocks.
An excavator then arrives, excavates the same spot, removes the bag and moves it nearby. Red Cross representatives then arrive to inspect the white bag. The Israeli army said the video showed Hamas trying to "create a false impression" of its efforts to recover the bodies while in fact not complying in good faith with the ceasefire agreement. Hamas said Israel was "trying to fabricate a pretext to break the ceasefire".