DayofPal—Israel admitted today, after killing 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, that those responsible for sniping an Israeli soldier in Rafah was an isolated cell unaware of the ceasefire.
On Tuesday, Israel announced that it had ordered “powerful and immediate” strikes on the Gaza Strip, claiming Hamas attacked its soldiers in Rafah and hasn’t released all Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Hamas thereby denied responsibility for the operation in Rafah and said in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire deal. Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, accused Israel of breaching Trump’s ceasefire deal.
Israel’s Walla website claimed the cell had remained for a long time in the tunnels, and they only emerged from underground and opened fire on the army unit when the Israeli engineering forces began to strike a key section of the tunnel system in the area.
Sources familiar with the details said that, according to assessments, this was a cell that had been trapped for a long period and, as a last resort, carried out the operation.
Hamas accused Israel of fabricating “false pretexts” to renew aggression in Gaza, and accused the US administration of providing cover for the assaults.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has exploited the Rafah operation to intensify attacks in Gaza. Since last night, over 100 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed in the deadly strikes.
After killing dozens, the Israeli military said on Wednesday that it resumed the ceasefire in line with instructions from the political leadership.
The US expressed support for Israel despite its ceasefire violations, emphasising Israel’s right to defend itself.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire “is not in jeopardy” despite the strikes.
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