The Israel Defense Forces accused Hamas of attacking the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blamed Hamas for the attack on the Gaza Strip city of Rafah and said it had responded with strikes. Hamas, for its part, denies violating the ceasefire agreement. The incident was reported by the Israeli military.
“Terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and opened fire on Israeli soldiers who were conducting an operation to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip in accordance with the ceasefire agreement”, the report said.
The IDF noted that in response it began “strikes on the area in order to eliminate the threat and destroy tunnel entrances and military facilities used for terrorist activities”:
“These terrorist acts are a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond to them decisively”.
Later, the Israeli military reported repeated airstrikes throughout the enclave. According to them, the strikes destroyed weapons depots, firing positions and other facilities used for “terrorist activities”. They also reported the elimination of six kilometers of underground tunnels.
“The Hamas terrorist organization flagrantly violated the ceasefire agreement this morning. The Israel Defense Forces will continue to respond decisively and act to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel”, the IDF said.
At the same time, Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Rishek assured that the group was adhering to the ceasefire. The Hamas military wing stressed that it was not involved in the events in Rafah.
“We have no information about incidents or clashes that occurred in the Rafah area, which is under the control of the occupiers”, the group said, adding that it has not maintained contact with militants in the area since March.
