The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which took hold on Oct. 10, remains in place as of Monday evening, local time, but it appears to be increasingly fragile following reports of further clashes in Gaza and accusations of violations from both sides.
Israel again accused Hamas of violating the terms of the cease-fire over the weekend, saying they targeted and killed two Israeli soldiers. Israel reported that its military personnel were targeted by Hamas in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, which is still under Israeli control. Responding to what it called Hamas’ “blatant violation” of the deal, Israel launched air strikes in the territory on Sunday and temporarily suspended humanitarian aid.
Hamas has maintained it was Israel that first breached the cease-fire.
There were further threats to the cease-fire’s stability on Monday morning, when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that “terrorists” had approached Israeli troops in the Shejaiya area of northern Gaza, crossing the agreed-upon withdrawal line within the territory.
“The troops fired toward the terrorists who crossed the yellow line in order to remove the threat to them,” said the IDF. “IDF troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the cease-fire agreement, and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”
Although both sides remain engaged in the cease-fire for now, the foundations of the deal appear unstable and tensions remain high under the watchful eye of leaders from across the globe.
Here’s what to know about the current status of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire:
Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the cease-fire
Two IDF soldiers were killed in clashes in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Sunday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed. The IDF claimed that “terrorists” fired an anti-tank missile as well as gunfire towards Israeli troops, accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the cease-fire. The Israeli military stated it had carried out a series of strikes in…
