Smoke rises from Gaza following an explosion, seen from Israel, October 19, 2025. Photo: Reuters
The Israeli military said Sunday that the ceasefire had resumed in Gaza after an attack killed two of its soldiers and triggered a wave of airstrikes that the Palestinians say killed 26 people, in the most serious test of this month’s truce.
US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire he negotiated remained in effect. Hamas leaders, he added, may not be involved in these violations. “We think the leadership may not be involved in this,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“Either way…this is going to be handled harshly but properly.”
Trump said he did not know whether the Israeli strikes were justified. “I should get back to you on that,” he said.
Aid to Gaza was to resume Monday under US pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt to supplies in response to what it called a “blatant” violation of the truce by Hamas.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets throughout the enclave, including field commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots, after militants launched an anti-tank missile and fired on its troops, killing the soldiers.
The strikes killed at least 26 people, including at least one woman and a child, according to residents and health authorities. At least one strike hit a former school housing displaced people in the Nuseirat area, residents said.
“We’re going to have to see what happens. We want to make sure that everything happens very peacefully with Hamas,” Trump said.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to visit Israel on Monday, an Israeli and a U.S. official said.
Hamas’ military wing said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement, was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups since March.
Read: Israel maintains closure of Rafah crossing, reopens links to hostage bodies
US Vice President JD Vance did not mention the Israeli strikes when speaking to reporters, but said there were about 40 different Hamas cells and no security infrastructure was yet in place to confirm their disarmament.
“Some of these cells will probably respect the ceasefire. Many of these cells, as we saw today, will not,” he said.
“Before we can actually ensure that Hamas is properly disarmed, it’s going to take some of these Gulf Arab states to actually send forces there, actually enforce law and order and maintain security on the ground.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the army to respond forcefully to what he described as ceasefire violations by Hamas.
The path to peace is uncertain
Fearing the truce would collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy goods at a main market in Nuseirat and families fled their homes in Khan Younis, further south, after airstrikes hit nearby.
The strikes recall Israel’s response to what it sees as serious violations of its ceasefire with Hamas’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah in late 2024, less than a week after it took effect and after days of mutual accusations of truce violations, although that ceasefire has since been largely respected.
But formidable obstacles remain on the path to lasting peace in Gaza, where a ceasefire failed in March after nearly two months of relative calm when Israel unleashed a barrage of airstrikes.
Dispute over bodies of deceased hostages
The new ceasefire took effect on October 10, ending two years of war, but the Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of ceasefire violations for days.
Learn more: Israel to reopen Rafah crossing as ceasefire violations continue
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the “yellow line” where Israeli forces had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire agreement would be physically marked and any violation of the ceasefire or attempt to cross the line would be met with fire.
Hamas has detailed what it sees as a series of violations by Israel that it says have left 46 people dead and prevented essential supplies from reaching the enclave.
On Saturday, Israel said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which was due to be reopened this week, would remain closed and its reopening would depend on Hamas fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire.
Israel says Hamas is taking too long to hand over the bodies of dead hostages. Hamas released all 20 living hostages it was holding last week and, in the following days, handed over 12 of the 28 deceased captives.
More help is needed
Hamas says it has no interest in keeping the bodies of the remaining hostages and that special equipment is needed to recover the bodies buried under the rubble.
The Rafah crossing has been largely closed since May 2024. The ceasefire agreement also includes increasing aid to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people were identified in August as being affected by famine, according to the IPC Global Hunger Monitor.
During previous ceasefires, the crossing served as a key channel for delivering humanitarian aid to the enclave.
Also read: Humanitarian trucks arrive in hungry Gaza
Although the flow of aid through another crossing point had increased significantly since the ceasefire began until Sunday’s decision to suspend aid, the United Nations says much more is needed.
The key questions of Hamas’s disarmament, the future governance of Gaza, the composition of an international “stabilization force” and steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state have not yet been resolved.
