In a statement released Tuesday morning, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had ordered the Israeli military to “immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip.”
The decision to strike inside the Gaza Strip comes after Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal brokered on October 10th. Netanyahu’s government claims Hamas misidentified the most recently returned captive’s remains before heavy gunfire and explosions broke out in Rafah, southern Gaza this morning. In turn, Gaza’s Government Media Office has accused Israel of committing 125 violations of the ceasefire since it was first established earlier in the month.
Speaking with Al Jazeera on Tuesday afternoon, a U.S. official said the ceasefire deal is still holding despite Israeli threats to attack Gaza.
“The ceasefire agreement is still holding in Gaza, and we continue to work to implement President Trump’s peace plan,” said the US official who spoke with the Middle Eastern news outlet on the condition of anonymity. “Transition to permanent peace in Gaza is a difficult task after two years of conflict in the Strip.”
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