The fragile ceasefire in Gaza is under new strain after IDF strikes were carried out yesterday following a Hamas gunman’s attack on Israeli forces in Rafah.
In response to reports by the Saudi channel Al-Hadath that Hamas told US envoy Steve Witkoff the ceasefire had expired, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq denied the claim on Al Jazeera and insisted the group still considers the agreement valid. According to him, Hamas is pressuring the mediators to force Israel to meet its commitments.
Israeli security officials assess that Hamas currently has no interest in a full-scale escalation. The terror organization benefits from preserving the deal, which includes further IDF withdrawals from certain zones and the reopening of the Rafah crossing. At the same time, Hamas is sending a delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya to Cairo for discussions with Egyptian intelligence and other factions, intending to protest the Israeli strikes — which Hamas claims were coordinated with the US command center in Kiryat Gat.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered this narrative, stating in English on his X account that Hamas is the side violating the agreement, and that in response to these violations the IDF has eliminated five senior Hamas operatives. Hamas’ so-called “Health Ministry” claims 318 Gazans were killed and 788 wounded — figures Israel disputes — while accusing Jerusalem of moving the “yellow line” westward and violating the deal with air and ground operations.
