Monday, 20 October, 2025
Israel launched a series of air and tank strikes across Gaza on Sunday and announced it was suspending humanitarian aid to the enclave in response to attacks on its forces, the military said, marking the most serious challenge yet to this month’s US-brokered ceasefire.
Gaza residents and local health authorities reported that the strikes killed at least 18 people, including one woman, as explosions and shelling rattled multiple areas of the densely populated territory.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure, including a tunnel network, weapons depots, and militant positions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a forceful military response following what he described as Hamas’ violations of the ceasefire, including the launch of an anti-tank missile in the southern Rafah area and attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Hamas’ armed wing, however, said it remained committed to the ceasefire, claiming it was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and had not communicated with local groups there since March.
An Israeli security official confirmed that the transfer of aid into Gaza would be halted until further notice, citing what he called Hamas’ blatant violation of the truce.
Fearing the ceasefire could collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy goods from a main market in Nuseirat camp, while families in Khan Younis fled their homes after nearby airstrikes.
The current strikes echo Israel’s response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah in late 2024, when fighting broke out less than a week after a new truce. Yet, despite these tensions, the 2024 ceasefire largely held. In Gaza, however, durable peace remains elusive. A previous truce collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm, when Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes.
The ceasefire that took effect on October 11 had halted two years of war, but both sides have accused each other of violations in recent days. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that the “yellow line” demarcating the area where Israeli forces pulled back under the agreement would be physically marked, warning that any breach would be met with immediate fire.
Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of multiple violations that it says have killed 46 people and blocked essential aid supplies from reaching Gaza. The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, originally expected to reopen this week, will remain closed until Hamas fulfills its obligations under the ceasefire, Israel announced on Saturday.
One key point of contention is the transfer of deceased hostages. Hamas last week released all 20 living hostages and has handed over 12 of 28 deceased captives. Israel claims Hamas is delaying the return of the remaining bodies, while the group says recovering corpses buried under rubble requires special equipment.
The Rafah crossing, largely closed since May 2024, is central to delivering humanitarian aid. Under the ceasefire, aid deliveries had increased significantly through other crossings, but the United Nations warns that far more assistance is urgently needed to address famine affecting hundreds of thousands in Gaza, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.
Unresolved issues continue to cast a shadow over the truce, including Hamas’ disarmament, governance of Gaza, the composition of an international stabilization force, and steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. As tensions flare again, the ceasefire faces its gravest test yet, with the fragile peace hanging in the balance.
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Israel launched a series of air and tank strikes across Gaza on Sunday and announced it was suspending humanitarian aid to the enclave in response to attacks on its forces, the military said, marking the most serious challenge yet to this month’s US-brokered ceasefire.
Gaza residents and local health authorities reported that the strikes killed at least 18 people, including one woman, as explosions and shelling rattled multiple areas of the densely populated territory.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure, including a tunnel network, weapons depots, and militant positions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a forceful military response following what he described as Hamas’ violations of the ceasefire, including the launch of an anti-tank missile in the southern Rafah area and attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Hamas’ armed wing, however, said it remained committed to the ceasefire, claiming it was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and had not communicated with local groups there since March.
An Israeli security official confirmed that the transfer of aid into Gaza would be halted until further notice, citing what he called Hamas’ blatant violation of the truce.
Fearing the ceasefire could collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy goods from a main market in Nuseirat camp, while families in Khan Younis fled their homes after nearby airstrikes.
The current strikes echo Israel’s response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah in late 2024, when fighting broke out less than a week after a new truce. Yet, despite these tensions, the 2024 ceasefire largely held. In Gaza, however, durable peace remains elusive. A previous truce collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm, when Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes.
The ceasefire that took effect on October 11 had halted two years of war, but both sides have accused each other of violations in recent days. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that the “yellow line” demarcating the area where Israeli forces pulled back under the agreement would be physically marked, warning that any breach would be met with immediate fire.
Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of multiple violations that it says have killed 46 people and blocked essential aid supplies from reaching Gaza. The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, originally expected to reopen this week, will remain closed until Hamas fulfills its obligations under the ceasefire, Israel announced on Saturday.
One key point of contention is the transfer of deceased hostages. Hamas last week released all 20 living hostages and has handed over 12 of 28 deceased captives. Israel claims Hamas is delaying the return of the remaining bodies, while the group says recovering corpses buried under rubble requires special equipment.
The Rafah crossing, largely closed since May 2024, is central to delivering humanitarian aid. Under the ceasefire, aid deliveries had increased significantly through other crossings, but the United Nations warns that far more assistance is urgently needed to address famine affecting hundreds of thousands in Gaza, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.
Unresolved issues continue to cast a shadow over the truce, including Hamas’ disarmament, governance of Gaza, the composition of an international stabilization force, and steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. As tensions flare again, the ceasefire faces its gravest test yet, with the fragile peace hanging in the balance.
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