Israel "Hamas, violated the agreement"…Gaza Strip bombed 9 days after truce

33 killed in attacks on armories, etc.

Israel "will maintain the truce agreement"

The Gaza truce is faltering after Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, citing violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. U.S. President Donald Trump, who mediated between the two sides, said the truce is still in effect.

According to Reuters on the 20th, the Israeli military said on the 19th (local time), "This morning we began attacks on Hamas terrorist targets in southern Gaza in response to Hamas's blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement." The Israeli military added that it targeted tunnels and armories used for terrorism.

After carrying out dozens of attacks, the Israeli military said it would resume implementing the ceasefire agreement that night, stressing, "We will continue to uphold the agreement and will respond firmly to any violations." Analysts noted that Gaza was again in a precarious situation just nine days after the first-stage truce agreed between Israel and Hamas under Trump's mediation took effect on the 10th.

Israeli media reported that Israeli forces were attacking Rafah in southern Gaza that morning. The Israeli military confirmed it carried out airstrikes in Rafah using fighter jets and artillery. The Israeli military explained that it was dismantling terrorist infrastructure in the area under the ceasefire agreement when it was attacked by "Palestinian extremists" with an anti-tank missile and gunfire. It added that two of its soldiers were killed in the fighting in southern Gaza.

Hamas denied the accusations outright. Hamas claimed, "Israel organized and armed criminal gangs that carry out murder, abduction, looting of aid trucks, and robberies targeting civilians," and argued that Israel was making a pretext to resume the war. Gaza's civil defense said the Israeli airstrikes killed at least 33 people across Gaza that day.

Reporter Kim Joo-wan kjwan@hankyung.com