Israel strikes Gaza in first major ceasefire test, saying Hamas attacked troops
Palestinians transport an injured man following what, according to medics, was an Israeli strike, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 19, 2025.
Mahmoud Issa | Reuters
Israel on Sunday struck targets in southern Gaza after saying its troops came under fire from Hamas militants, in the first major test of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire meant to halt more than two years of war.
Militants used a rocket-propelled grenade, and Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery, the military said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with Israel’s security heads and directed the military to take “strong action” against any ceasefire violations, but didn’t threaten to return to war.
Israel’s military said that militants shot at troops in areas of the southern Gaza city of Rafah that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines. No injuries were reported. A separate military statement said that Israel would respond to ceasefire violations with “great force” against Hamas.
Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said that it wasn’t connected to any clashes in Rafah.
The Palestinian group also said that talks to launch the second phase of ceasefire negotiations have begun.
Strikes in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike killed at least six Palestinians in central Gaza, health officials said. The strike hit a makeshift coffeehouse on the coastal side of the town of Zawaida, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government.
Another Israeli strike killed at least two people close to the Al-Ahly soccer club in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the ministry said. The strike hit a tent and wounded eight others, said Awda hospital, which received the casualties.
A third strike hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the south, killing at least one person, according to Nasser hospital.
An Israeli military official told journalists there had been three incidents Sunday, two in southern Gaza and one in the north, and noted that the update was partial for now.
More bodies of hostages identified
Israel identified the remains of two hostages released by Hamas overnight.
Netanyahu’s office said the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel, a father of three from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be’eri.
Both were believed to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war. Engel’s wife, Karina, and two of his three children were kidnapped and released in a ceasefire in November 2023.
Hamas, in the past week, has handed over the remains of 12 hostages.
Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that it had found the body of a hostage and would return it on Sunday “if circumstances in the field” allowed. It warned that any escalation by Israel would hamper search efforts.
Israel on Saturday said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed “until further notice” and its reopening would depend on how Hamas fulfills its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 deceased hostages.
Hamas group says the devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas of Gaza have slowed the handover. Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned.
Israel has released 150 bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel has neither identified the bodies nor said how they died. The ministry has posted photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones. The bodies were decomposed and blackened. and some were missing limbs and teeth.
Only 25 bodies have been identified, the Health Ministry said.
After Israel and Hamas exchanged 20 living hostages for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the handover of remains is a major issue in the first stage of the ceasefire. A major scale-up of humanitarian aid, including the opening of the Rafah crossing, for people entering or leaving Gaza, is the other central issue.
Ceasefire’s second phase
Hamas said talks with mediators to start the ceasefire’s second phase have begun.
The next stages of the ceasefire are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory.
Hazem Kassem, a Hamas spokesman, said late Saturday that the second phase of negotiations “requires national consensus.” He said Hamas has begun discussions to “solidify its positions,” without giving details.
According to the U.S. plan, the negotiations will include disarming Hamas and the establishment of an internationally backed authority to run Gaza.
Kassem reiterated that the group won’t be part of the ruling authority in a postwar…
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