Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Tuesday denied any involvement in a shooting attack on Israeli forces in Rafah, accusing Israel of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, Hamas said it remains fully committed to the ceasefire deal signed in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh under US sponsorship.
“The criminal shelling carried out by the fascist Israeli occupation army on parts of the Gaza Strip represents a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
The Israeli army launched a series of air and artillery strikes across Gaza on Tuesday evening following orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing alleged ceasefire breaches by Hamas.
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Israeli media reported that the escalation came after Israeli forces came under sniper fire and anti-tank shell attacks in the southern city of Rafah.
Hamas condemned the attacks as “part of a series of violations in recent days that resulted in casualties and the continued closure of the Rafah crossing,” accusing Israel of attempting to undermine the truce.
The group called on mediators overseeing the agreement to “act immediately to pressure Israel, curb its brutal escalation against civilians, stop its serious violations of the ceasefire, and ensure full compliance with its provisions.”
The ceasefire, in effect since Oct. 10 under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as well as the rebuilding of Gaza and the creation of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
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Since October 2023, Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children and injured over 170,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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