The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on targets in Rafah on Sunday, according to reports by Israeli news agency TPS-IL and other Israeli media outlets. The airstrikes reportedly came in response to a Hamas attack using an anti-tank weapon against an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) engineering vehicle in the area.
The escalation followed just hours after the United States issued a warning to the ceasefire guarantor states, claiming it had reliable intelligence suggesting Hamas was planning to violate the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas, however, rejected the US claims on Sunday, calling the statements made by the State Department false.
On Saturday, the US State Department stated it had “reliable information indicating an imminent violation of the ceasefire by Hamas against the people of Gaza,” adding that such a move would constitute a “direct and serious breach” of the agreement.
In Israel, Defence Minister Israel Katz left a cabinet meeting to assess the security situation following the breach of the ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary also left the meeting, it was announced.
Israel identifies body of hostage returned by Hamas
Israeli authorities announced on Sunday that they had identified the body of Ronen Engel, one of two deceased hostages whose remains were handed over by Hamas on Saturday.
The Israeli military confirmed it had informed Engel’s family of the return of his body to Israel, a development also acknowledged in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the same statement, Israel reaffirmed that it would make “no compromises” and would continue its efforts until all deceased hostages held in Gaza are repatriated.
Ronen Engel, aged 54 and a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, was abducted from his home and killed on 7 October 2023 during the unprecedented Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. His body was transported into the Palestinian enclave. His death was officially announced by Israel on 1 December 2023.
His wife Karina and their two daughters, Yuval and Mika, were also kidnapped on 7 October but were released during the first ceasefire agreement with Hamas in November 2023, after 52 days in captivity.
The two bodies, including Engel’s, were handed over by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Israeli security forces on Saturday evening in Gaza. The remains were then transferred to a forensic facility for identification.
As of Sunday morning, Israeli authorities had not yet confirmed the identity of the second body returned by Hamas.