Israel struck terrorist targets in southern Gaza after Hamas terrorists attacked its troops located inside the agreed ceasefire line, violating the U.S.-brokered agreement. “The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes in the Rafah area on Sunday morning in response to violations of the ceasefire by Hamas,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported.
In response to Hamas’s action, the Israeli military targeted terror tunnels used in the sneak attacks. “Earlier, an IED or anti-tank explosion struck near an IDF engineering vehicle in the same area,” the broadcaster added. “Reports from Gaza indicate the strikes targeted Hamas positions shortly after the terror group fired an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.”
Media reports suggest that Hamas attacked Israeli military positions in several locations. “A military official said Hamas had carried out “multiple attacks against Israeli forces beyond the yellow line,” which they say is the area Israeli troops have withdrawn to in accordance with phase one of the US-brokered deal,” BBC reported.
The IDF described Hamas’s attack on its troops as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” and vowed to “respond firmly.”
On Sunday morning, “terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF troops operating to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area, in southern Gaza, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement,” the military said in a statement.
“In response, the IDF has begun striking in the area to eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity,” the military disclosed.
Israel’s Ynetnews reported Jerusalem’s response to Hamas’s ceasefire violation:
Exchanges of fire broke out Sunday morning in southern Gaza after Palestinians reported gunfire directed at an IDF engineering vehicle near Rafah, just over a week after a ceasefire took effect and the IDF withdrew from about half of the Gaza Strip.In a statement, the IDF said that earlier Sunday, terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward troops operating in the Rafah area of southern Gaza to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.The army said it launched strikes in the area “to eliminate the threat and dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity.” The IDF added that “these terrorist actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and the military secretary left the weekly Cabinet meeting for an urgent security assessment. During the session, the government also approved renaming the ongoing campaign to War of Revival. (…)Following the morning incident, Netanyahu convened an urgent situation assessment with senior defense officials, focusing on whether to resume limited airstrikes against Hamas targets and reduce humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Later in the day, the IDF revealed the names of two soldiers who were killed in the Hamas attack. “Hours after announcing an attack on soldiers in southern Gaza that led to intense airstrikes in the Strip, the IDF says that two soldiers were killed and three were wounded in the attack by Palestinian terror operatives in Rafah this morning,” The Times of Israel reported. “The slain soldiers are named as Maj. Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sgt. Itay Yavetz, 21.”
The Hamas terror attacks came hours after the U.S. State Department warned of an imminent Hamas attack in Gaza. On Saturday, the State Department cited “credible reports” that the terrorist group was planning to violate the ceasefire by carrying out further attacks on civilians in Gaza.
The “planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the department warned.
Israel informed the Trump administration ahead of the retaliatory action against Hamas. According to Axios “Israel notified the Trump administration in advance of the strikes through the U.S. command center that oversees the ceasefire.”
“Trump’s envoy’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a call with Israeli minister Ron Dermer and other officials to coordinate and discuss next steps,” the news website reported, quoting a U.S. official. “The U.S. official said the U.S urged Israel to “respond proportionately but show restraint”.”
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