JERUSALEM/GAZA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army carried out airstrikes on the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday after accusing Hamas of firing an anti-tank missile and gunfire at Israeli troops dismantling infrastructure in Rafah under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
These actions "constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, adding that it will respond firmly.
Palestinian sources said Israeli aircraft launched intensive strikes on areas east of Rafah, adding that it was difficult for ambulance crews to reach the area, which remains under Israeli control, as the bombardment continued.
Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and security officials and instructed them to act forcefully against targets in the Gaza Strip, his office said in a statement.
So far, no Palestinian faction has claimed responsibility.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Sunday it "affirms its full commitment" to the ceasefire across the Gaza Strip and denied any knowledge of incidents or clashes in Rafah.
In a statement, al-Qassam described Rafah as a "red zone" under Israeli army control and said contact with its remaining units there has been cut off since the resumption of fighting in March 2025.
It added that it has no information on whether those fighters are alive or dead and therefore cannot be linked to or confirm any events occurring in the area.
Meanwhile, Hamas Political Bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said in a statement that, "Hamas affirms its full commitment to the ceasefire agreement and stresses that it is the Zionist occupation that continues to violate the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes."
"Netanyahu's attempts to evade his commitments come under pressure from his extremist coalition, in an effort to evade his responsibilities before the mediators and guarantors of the agreement," al-Rishq added.
Also on Sunday, four Palestinians were killed and five others wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting a cafe west of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses reported. The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the attack.
Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israeli warplanes struck a target in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians. The two, according to Kan, "attempted to cross the so-called Yellow Line," north of the enclave. The "Yellow Line" is an unofficial line separating areas under Israeli military control from those where Palestinians are allowed to move within the Gaza Strip.
Kan also noted that Sunday's incident in Rafah is not the first reported violation of the ceasefire by Hamas.
It said that on Friday, militants emerged from a tunnel shaft in Rafah and fired at Israeli forces, causing no casualties. On the same day, militants surfaced from a tunnel in Khan Younis, approached Israeli forces, and were struck by airstrikes.
These developments come as Israel and Hamas continue to trade accusations of violating the ceasefire that has been in effect in the Gaza Strip since October 10.
Brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States, the agreement calls for the exchange of prisoners and hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of the Gaza Strip, and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. ■
