Rising tensions in Gaza revive questions about the durability of the truce
Growing tension in the Gaza Strip is threatening the fragile ceasefire, as deadly attacks resume, raising doubts about whether the agreement can endure.
Over the past two days, Israel carried out a lethal strike after claiming that Hamas militants had attacked its soldiers, in the latest clashes to occur in the two months since the truce was signed.
The Israeli army announced that it had killed a militant in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in response to a Hamas attack in nearby Rafah, which reportedly injured five soldiers.
Suhib Al-Hams, director of the specialized Al-Kuwait field hospital in Khan Younis, said the Israeli airstrike killed at least six people—one man, two women, and three children—and wounded many others in a displaced persons camp.
In October, a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. However, repeated tensions have persisted, including Israeli strikes on the enclave.
Despite this, key parts of the agreement have been implemented, including the release of all surviving hostages.
Around 250 Israelis and foreigners were abducted during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which ignited the war in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad handed over the remains of a Thai agricultural worker, while the body of one remaining hostage, an Israeli police officer, has yet to be recovered.
It remains unclear whether any progress has been made on disarmament efforts in Gaza, which Israeli and American officials view as essential to securing a long-term ceasefire.
The Rafah strike
In Rafah, a Hamas fighter opened fire on an Israeli armored personnel carrier that had arrived after a suspected individual was detected inside a building, according to an Israeli army spokeswoman, who added that a soldier was seriously wounded.
Footage of the Israeli strike on Wednesday evening showed a cluster of tents engulfed in flames as people attempted to extinguish them with water.
Dr. Al-Hams told the Associated Press by phone that the field hospital had received large numbers of dead and wounded, and that staff provided first aid before transferring the injured to a larger, better-equipped hospital.
He added that many of the wounded suffered injuries caused by shrapnel.
The second phase of the agreement
These developments on the ground come as an Israeli delegation discussed in Cairo the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement: “At the conclusion of the discussions, it was agreed to focus on intensive and immediate efforts to complete the mission of locating the hostages and the missing.”
Israel’s national broadcaster reported that the talks addressed the second phase of Trump’s plan.
According to Israel, the return of the last Israeli hostage will trigger the beginning of the plan’s second phase, which includes reopening the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza in both directions.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the U.S. president “will announce by mid-month the details of the second phase, the formation of the Peace Council, the international force, and the committee that will administer the Gaza Strip.”
It added that “the U.S. administration is currently in the final stage of selecting members of the Palestinian technocratic committee and determining the structure of the international force.”
