Israeli airstrikes rattle Rafah and southern Gaza: reports

Just days after a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing Israeli Channel 12. The strikes came amid mounting tensions over the fragile truce, which appeared to be on the brink of collapse as the United States accused Hamas of plotting an attack in the disputed territory.

“Terror operatives attacked Israeli troops in Rafah, prompting the IDF to respond with airstrikes, shaking the ceasefire,” the Times of Israel reported.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the air force was attacking Rafah in southern Gaza, with most media outlets describing the operations as air strikes.

The Israeli military said on Friday that “several terrorists” opened fire on soldiers in the Rafah area, causing no injuries. Later the same day, the military said it struck another group of “terrorists” approaching troops in Khan Younis. The military added that it would continue to operate to remove immediate threats.

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For days, the Israeli government and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, with Israel announcing that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice.

Israel and Hamas have also clashed over the return of deceased hostages. Israel has demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligations to hand over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages. While Hamas has returned all 20 live hostages and 12 of the deceased, it said recovering corpses buried under rubble requires effort and special equipment.