By David Crowe
London: Israeli forces have clashed with Hamas in a new sign of pressure on a peace deal in Gaza, blocking the flow of food and medical supplies to Palestinians while the two sides blame each other for flouting a ceasefire.
The Israel Defence Forces launched airstrikes and artillery fire against militants on Sunday in the southern part of the war-torn territory near the Rafah crossing into Egypt, saying it was responding to being fired upon.
Israel said Hamas fighters had fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at the soldiers in an area that was controlled by Israeli under the terms of the ceasefire, and it vowed to fire back if the attacks continued. Israel’s military later said two soldiers were killed.
But Hamas said the Israeli forces had repeatedly violated the ceasefire and claimed, without verification by any other source, that 46 people had been killed in recent days.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel said it would suspend the delivery of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until further notice.
The Israeli military said later on Sunday that the ceasefire in Gaza had resumed. The flow of aid into the enclave is also set to resume on Monday following US pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced the halt in supplies in response to what it said was a “blatant” violation by Hamas of the truce.
The airstrikes were revealed when plumes of smoke rose over Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza that is home to tens of thousands of people, and the Israel Defence Forces said it had attacked weapons storage facilities, firing posts and Hamas tunnels.
The ceasefire is under growing pressure after Hamas failed to transfer the bodies of 28 hostages it had agreed to release by last Monday, while Israel responded by halting aid deliveries despite promising to allow more food, water and medical help.
Aid groups have called for hundreds of daily truck deliveries to be allowed through the Rafah crossing to feed an estimated two million people in the territory, but the impasse over the ceasefire led Israel to close the crossing on Saturday.
Israeli officials announced the halt to all humanitarian aid on Sunday (Monday, AEDT).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up his threats to use military force against Hamas, with his office blaming the group for violating the ceasefire.
Wounded Palestinian infants are treated at Nasser Hospital in Gaza on Sunday after an Israeli army bombardment.Credit: AP
“Hamas continues to show that their barbaric and irresponsible actions are the biggest threat to the Israeli and Palestinian people,” the prime minister’s office said on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
“We will respond forcefully against their brutal rule and thwart their weakening grip on Gaza.”
Netanyahu is insisting that Hamas put down its weapons under the terms of the peace plan, which sets out long-term goals for a transitional authority to manage Gaza and also stipulates that Hamas leaders would gain safe passage to leave to third countries.
A man shoots in the air during the funeral of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on Sunday.Credit: AP
Hamas has not agreed to demilitarise and has instead executed rivals inside the territory over the past week, asserting its control by force. Hamas is designated a terrorist group by Australia and other countries.
One of Israel’s most hawkish leaders in the war in Gaza, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for fighting to be resumed at “full strength” in the territory, potentially widening the breach in the ceasefire.
The Australian government imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir in June on the grounds that he incited supported systemic violence against Palestinians.
Israel said it would suspend the delivery of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until further notice.Credit: AP
The armed wing of Hamas said in a statement, reported by Reuters, that it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement in all of Gaza. It also said it was unaware of clashes in Rafah and that it had not been in contact with groups there since March.
The BBC, citing local sources, reported that an Israeli airstrike on the town of al-Zawaida in central Gaza had killed six members of the Hamas al-Qassam Brigades, including Yahya al-Mabhouh, the commander of an elite unit.
With Reuters, AP
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