Israel announced on Oct. 19 that its cease-fire with Hamas would continue after a temporary resumption of hostilities over alleged violations of the peace deal by members of the terrorist group.
The Israeli military said earlier in the day that Hamas had violated the cease-fire by firing an anti-tank missile at Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operating in the Rafah area, resulting in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would respond forcefully, igniting fears that the still-fresh cease-fire agreement negotiated in consultation with U.S. President Donald Trump could be collapsing.
“These terrorist actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly,” the IDF said on Oct. 19.
Later on Oct. 19, the IDF said that it had “begun renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” after it had responded to what it said were Hamas’s violations.
“The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it.”
According to residents and authorities in Gaza, the Israeli counterattack killed at least 26 people.
Before the attacks, Israel had said it was ready to allow for the resumption of aid into Gaza as soon as all the missing hostage bodies were returned. It has not yet publicly announced when the shipments into the area will resume.
The IDF said the airstrikes were intended to dismantle the tunnel shafts and military structures that the Hamas terrorist group was using. The Israeli military also hit Hamas targets throughout Gaza, including field commanders, gunmen, and weapons depots after the anti-tank missile killed two Israeli soldiers.
Netanyahu said he had ordered his forces to respond swiftly to what he described as Hamas’ violations of the cease-fire.
The prime minister held consultations with Israel’s security heads and ordered the military to take “strong action” against any violations of the cease-fire. However, his office did not threaten to return to war.
In a statement, Hamas’s armed wing claimed that it was also committed to the cease-fire agreement throughout Gaza, that it was not aware of clashes in Rafah, and that it had not been in contact with groups in that area since March.
"We affirm our full commitment to implementing all agreements, foremost among them the cease-fire across all areas of the Gaza Strip," the Al-Qassam Brigades said.
The U.S. State Department put Hamas on notice on Oct. 18, citing “credible reports” that the Iran-backed terror group was planning an imminent attack on Palestinians civilians, in violation of the peace agreement.
A State Department spokesperson said that should Hamas proceed with its “planned attack against Palestinian civilians” and violate the cease-fire, the United States and other guarantors of the peace agreement would respond.
“The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole.”
No further details were disclosed. The notice was issued amid reports of violence and shootings in Gaza between Hamas and rival factions.
Hamas on the morning of Oct. 19 rejected the State Department's statement, saying that the allegations were false.
Hamas had launched a security crackdown in urban areas vacated by Israeli forces, demonstrating its power in the enclave through public executions and clashes with local armed clans.
A Hamas official on Oct. 16 defended the killings that reportedly started on Oct. 13, and video footage of the public executions circulated online.
Speaking in Beirut, Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, Hamas's political representative in Lebanon, said the individuals who were killed “caused death and corruption in Gaza and killed displaced persons and aid seekers."
Obstacles to Peace
The cease-fire agreement was signed by Israel and Hamas on Oct. 9, securing the first stage of a multi-step agreement to end a two-year war between Israel and Hamas.However, the deadline for Hamas to return the bodies of 28 hostages who had died and were also being held in Gaza expired on Oct. 13. The United States said it did not view the delay as Hamas’s violation of the deal, noting challenges in locating and retrieving the bodies.
Hamas had assured the United States through intermediaries that was working to return dead hostages. It said that the remaining bodies were buried in tunnels that were destroyed by Israel, and that heavy machinery was needed to dig through the rubble to retrieve them.
The delays have led the two sides to accuse each other of cease-fire violations, with Netanyahu threatening to cut aid to Gaza if the bodies are not returned immediately. Throughout the war, Israel’s military has exhumed bodies as part of its search for the remains of hostages.
Israel announced on Oct. 16 that it was preparing to reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt to allow Palestinians to move in and out but gave no date, as it said that Hamas remained in violation of its promise to return the missing hostage bodies.
On Oct. 18, Netanyahu said the Rafah crossing would remain closed and that its reopening is dependent on Hamas handing over the remaining bodies of deceased hostages.
Later in the day, Israel acknowledged receiving two more bodies, marking 12 out of 28 bodies as returned. So far, Israel has also returned 90 bodies of dead Palestinians to Gaza.
Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu's decision to close the crossing "constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties."
‘Not Playing Games’
U.S. President Donald Trump, the architect of the peace agreement, on Oct. 14 assured reporters during a news conference with Argentinian President Javier Milei that Hamas would lay down its arms.“They know I’m not playing games,” he said.
Trump also said that Hamas had taken out “a couple of gangs that were very bad.”
“And they killed a number of gang members. And that didn't bother me much, to be honest with you,” he said.
Trump then clarified later the same day that he wouldn’t be sending U.S. troops into Gaza.
“It’s not going to be us,” he told reporters. “We won’t have to. There are people very close, very nearby that will go in and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”
On Oct. 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)—the U.S. military’s Middle East command—urged Hamas to cease violence “without delay.”
“We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, said in a statement. “We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians.”