In a major test to the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli officials on Sunday said it launched a wave of attacks in Gaza after Hamas militants allegedly fired on Israeli soldiers.
Israel’s military said in a statement Oct. 19 that it launched “a series of strikes” against Hamas in southern Gaza, several hours after it announced it had targeted militants in the Rafah area in response to an attack on Israeli soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces have said the latest strikes targeted Hamas militants, as well as tunnels and military buildings.
The moves in Gaza comes shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of major “action” against Hamas, accusing the militant group of violating the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect for less than two weeks.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said Oct. 19 that Israeli attacks had killed at least eight people in the last 24 hours, Reuters reported.
Hamas has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement following the strikes, according to Reuters, and said it was unaware of any incidents or clashes in Rafah and has not been in contact with groups there since March.
The airstrikes are the first significant escalation in the region since the Oct. 11 ceasefire agreement which led to the freeing of the 20 Israeli hostages still alive after two years of captivity and the more than 1,700 Palestinians detained by Israel since the war began. Another 250 Palestinian prisoners were also released as part of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered peace plan.
In the Oct. 19 statement, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister has held meetings with his defense minister and security chiefs, instructing them to take “strong action” against what they call “terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.”
In a post to X, the Israel Defense Forces said troops were fired upon in Rafah, and they responded by striking the area. The military force said the strikes were intended to “eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity,” and claimed the attacks against Israeli forces were “blatant violations” of the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military’s reports of attacks on its forces come a day after the U.S. Department of State issued a statement warning it had received “credible reports” indicating of an imminent violation of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas.
Vice President JD Vance is slated head to Israel this week to push for the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace proposal intended to end the two-year-old Israel-Hamas war.
While the agreement led to the release of the 20 Israeli hostages, tension soon followed as it became clear the bodies of 28 deceased hostages would not be immediately released. Hamas has blamed Israel and its destruction of large swaths of Gaza for the delay in returning the bodies, and Israel has threatened access of humanitarian aid in response.
Twelve of the 28 hostage bodies have been handed over to Israel as of the afternoon of Oct. 18.