Trump insists Gaza ceasefire holds despite deadly Israeli strikes
President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the Gaza ceasefire remains active despite Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 45 Palestinians and raised concerns about the truce’s stability. The Israeli military launched dozens of strikes on Hamas positions in southern Gaza after accusing the group of violating the nine-day-old ceasefire by attacking Israeli troops in Rafah. Trump downplayed the tensions and suggested that rebels within Hamas were behind the alleged breaches.
Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that strikes killed at least 45 people across the enclave, and four hospitals confirmed the same toll. Israel’s military said it was looking into the reports while reaffirming that it had renewed enforcement of the ceasefire. Hamas denied Israel’s claims and accused it of fabricating pretexts to resume the war.
The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10 and halted more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Israel confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed in Rafah on Sunday when militants fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on Israeli forces. Palestinian witnesses said fighting broke out between Hamas and a local gang in an area still under control of Israeli tanks.
Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and continues returning bodies of those who died in captivity. The war began after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,221 people and has left at least 68,159 dead in Gaza. Both sides appear to be testing the limits of the ceasefire.
