Netanyahu’s government and Hamas have been trading blame over violations of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire for days.
Late on Saturday in Washington, the State Department said it had received “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
The State Department said the planned attack against Palestinian civilians would be a “direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Hamas denied on Sunday accusations of an “imminent attack” or a “violation” of the ceasefire.
Trump had said he would consider allowing Israeli forces to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to uphold its end of the ceasefire deal that he brokered.
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, October 19 (Reuters) – As the two sides continued to level blame over ceasefire violations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed until further notice. He also added that the reopening of the crossing would require Hamas to turn over the bodies of the hostages who had died.
Shortly before Netanyahu’s remarks, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt declared that the Rafah crossing, which serves as the primary entry point for Gazans entering and exiting the enclave, would reopen for traffic on Monday.
Hamas and Netanyahu’s administration have been arguing over who is to blame for U. S. . For days, a ceasefire was mediated. The State Department said late Saturday in Washington that it had “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”. “.”.
A “direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement” would be committed by the planned attack on Palestinian civilians, according to the State Department. “..”.
In a statement, the department stated, “Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” but it did not elaborate.
Hamas denied claims of a “violation” of the ceasefire or an “imminent attack” on Sunday.
It charged that Israeli officials had organized, armed, and supported “criminal gangs” that committed murder, abduction, and looting.
The Palestinian militant group claimed that by pursuing those gangs and holding them accountable, Gaza’s police forces were carrying out their mandate.
“The petition urges the U. S. administration to cease spreading the false information about the occupation,” it continued.
If Hamas doesn’t keep its end of the ceasefire agreement he mediated, Trump had stated he would think about letting Israeli forces return to the battlefield in Gaza.
With public executions and clashes with local armed clans, the militant group has begun a security crackdown in urban areas that Israeli forces have evacuated.
AID DISPUTE, BODIES RETURN.
Netanyahu’s decision “constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties,” according to a statement released by Hamas late on Saturday. “.”.
It added that the recovery and transfer of the remains would be delayed if the Rafah crossing remained closed because it would be impossible for equipment to enter and search for additional hostage bodies beneath the debris.
Twelve of the 28 bodies have been turned over under a U.N., according to Israel, which reported receiving two more late on Saturday. S. . -mediated the agreement between Israel and Hamas last week on a ceasefire and hostage exchange.
Nearly all Gaza residents have been forced from their homes, a global hunger monitor has confirmed famine, and health authorities are overburdened as a result of the war’s humanitarian catastrophe.
Along with other significant issues that are part of the U.S., the conflict over the return of bodies and shipments of life-saving humanitarian aid highlights the ceasefire’s vulnerability and still has the potential to sabotage the agreement. S. 20 points in President Donald Trump’s war-ending plan.
In exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners imprisoned in Israel, Hamas agreed to release all 20 of the Israeli hostages it had been holding for the past two years.
BRILLANT RESISTANCE TO PEACE.
However, Israel claims that Hamas has been too slow to return the bodies of the hostages it still has. The militant group claims it will take some time to find some of the bodies amidst Gaza’s extensive devastation.
The agreement stipulates that Israel must return 360 Palestinian militant bodies for each Israeli hostage that has died; thus far, it has turned over 15 bodies for every Israeli body it has received.
Since May 2024, Rafah has mainly been closed. In addition, the ceasefire agreement calls for increasing aid into the enclave, where the IPC global hunger monitor reported in August that hundreds of thousands of people were suffering from famine.
Israel has been stepping up aid into Gaza since the ceasefire, increasing it in July after cutting off all supplies for 11 weeks in March.
On average, since the U.S. invasion, 560 metric tons of food have entered Gaza every day. S. . -brokered truce, but the United States said this was still far below the level of need. N. . The World Food Program.
There are still formidable challenges to Trump’s war-ending strategy. Unresolved issues include the disarmament of Hamas, Gaza governance, the composition of an international “stabilization force,” and the steps taken to establish a Palestinian state.
Editing by Diane Craft, Nick Zieminski, and Tomasz Janowski; writing by Maayan Lubell, Alex Dziadosz, Hatem Maher, and Patricia Zengerle; reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, with additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Hatem Maher, Menna Alaa El-Din, Jaidaa Taha, and Daphne Psaledakis.
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Having covered multiple wars and the signing of the first-ever peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, the senior correspondent has almost 25 years of experience in the field.
