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Hamas accuses Israel of breaking truce 47 times as casualties mount in Rafah and Khan Younis
KABUL – Israel launched fresh air and artillery strikes across the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, shattering a week-old US-brokered ceasefire and plunging the war-torn enclave back into chaos. Explosions rocked Rafah and Khan Younis as Israeli tanks opened fire and drones hovered overhead, targeting what the army claimed were “terrorist positions.”
The latest wave of bombardment followed Israeli accusations that Hamas fighters fired an RPG and sniper rounds at troops stationed near the separation line in Rafah. Hamas, however, firmly denied the claims, accusing Israel of fabricating pretexts to resume its offensive and of violating the ceasefire dozens of times since it took effect on October 11.
“The occupation forces have never abided by the truce. They continue to bomb, kill and destroy under false excuses,” said senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq, calling the Israeli attacks a “new massacre against our displaced people.”
Gaza’s government media office said Israel has committed at least 47 violations of the ceasefire so far, killing 38 Palestinians and injuring 143 others, many of them women and children. Ambulances struggled to reach bombed-out neighborhoods as aid convoys remained stuck at the shuttered Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Despite the fragile truce, Israel’s far-right ministers have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “resume full combat” and “crush Hamas completely.” Meanwhile, Hamas accused the United States of siding with Israel, after Washington issued warnings of an “imminent Hamas attack” — claims the group dismissed as “false and politically motivated.”
The escalation comes as Gazans continue to endure dire humanitarian conditions, with food, fuel, and medical supplies critically low. The renewed Israeli strikes have once again dashed hopes for peace in the enclave, where families displaced by two years of war face yet another night of terror under the bombs.
