Hamas denies reponsibility for IDF attack in Rafah
Hamas has denied responsibility over the attack on Israeli soldiers in Rafah on Tuesday.
The group says it remains committed to the ceasefire deal, adding that it had no connection to the attack which prompted swift Israeli strikes across Gaza, Reuters reports.
Key events
Summary
As Israel and Gaza approach midnight, here is a look at the day’s events:
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Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the military to immediately carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza, in the latest test for the increasingly shaky US-brokered ceasefire in the strip. Netanyahu ordered the strikes after an emergency meeting to discuss what he called Hamas violations of the ceasefire, amid clamour for a return to the war by far-right figures in the Israeli government.
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Nine people have been killed tonight in Israeli air strikes says Gaza’s civil defense agency in its latest update. Meanwhile, Hamas has denied responsibility over the attack on Israeli soldiers in Rafah on Tuesday.
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Hamas’s armed wing said it was postponing the handover of another hostage body scheduled for Tuesday evening after what it called Israeli “violations” of the US-brokered ceasefire. Hamas’s announcement came minutes after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out intense strikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing the militants of violating the truce deal.
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US vice-president JD Vance said that Gaza’s ceasefire is holding, Reuters reports. “The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” he said.
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Turkey’s foreign ministry has issued a statement calling Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire. It said: “We are deeply concerned by the reports that civilians have lost their lives as a result of the attacks. We once again emphasize that full adherence to the ceasefire is of vital importance for preserving the prospect for lasting peace and ensuring regional security.”
Turkey: Israel’s Gaza attacks are ‘flagrant violation of the ceasefire’
Turkey’s foreign ministry has issued a statement calling Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire.”
It said:
“We are deeply concerned by the reports that civilians have lost their lives as a result of the attacks. We once again emphasize that full adherence to the ceasefire is of vital importance for preserving the propsect for lasting peace and ensuring regional security.
We reiterate our call on Israel to adhere to the ceasefire and to refrain from actions that undermine peace and stability.
Turkiye will continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to support efforts towards achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.”
Nine people killed in air strikes, Gaza officials say
Nine people have been killed tonight in Israeli air strikes says Gaza’s civil defense agency in its latest update.
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Four people were killed after an Israeli strike hit a residential building in the Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City.
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Five were killed when a strike targeted a vehicle in Khan Younis. The victims were two children, a woman and two men.
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Two people were injured after Israeli forces struck a tent sheltering displaced families west of al-Zawaida in central Gaza.
With the resumption of air strikes across Gaza tonight, Palestinians say they fear the war is starting again.
Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed, 60, told AFP news agency that Israel was now accusing Hamas of “stalling” and “that is a pretext for renewed escalation and war”.
“We want to rest. I believe the war will come back.”
The IDF is yet to comment on the deadly strikes tonight, which were announced by Benjamin Netanyahu’s office earlier saying he had ordered “powerful attacks”.
Shortly after the first explosions were heard, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz also released a statement, accusing Hamas of an assault on Israeli troops in Rafah.
Katz said Hamas would “pay a heavy price” for the Tuesday attack and for “violating the agreement to return the bodies of the hostages”.
Hamas has denied it was behind “the shooting incident in Rafah”, and says it is committed to the ceasefire.
At least seven people killed in airstrikes on Gaza
Israel’s airstrikes tonight have targeted several parts of the enclave – including the courtyard of the al-Shifa hospital, the Sabra neighbourhood south of Gaza City, and parts of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
The heaviest strikes appear to have focused on Gaza City – according to witness reports.
At least seven people have been killed so far says Gaza’s civil defense agency.
Another five people were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza, the civil defense agency is reporting.
They said the strike had targeted a car in Khan Younis.
Iran has demanded a $170 million fine from the owner of a cargo ship that it seized in Gulf waters last year and accused of having ties to Israel, a judicial official said Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, intercepted the MSC Aries in April of 2024 and detained its 25 international crew members.
At the time, the official IRNA news agency said the Portuguese-flagged vessel was “managed by Zodiac, which belongs to the Zionist capitalist Eyal Ofer”.
On Tuesday, Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said charges had been filed and the case was before the courts, though no date had been set for a trial.
“A fine of $170 million has been demanded against its owner, of Israeli origin, accused of financing terrorism,” Jahangir said.
JD Vance says ceasefire is holding despite ‘skirmishes here and there’
US vice-president JD Vance said that Gaza’s ceasefire is holding, Reuters reports.
“The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” he said.
“We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the President’s peace is going to hold despite that,” Vance continued.
Hamas denies reponsibility for IDF attack in Rafah
Hamas has denied responsibility over the attack on Israeli soldiers in Rafah on Tuesday.
The group says it remains committed to the ceasefire deal, adding that it had no connection to the attack which prompted swift Israeli strikes across Gaza, Reuters reports.
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