Israel says ceasefire, aid to resume after strikes kill dozens in Gaza

The Israeli military said on Sunday that ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an attack killed two of its soldiers and prompted a wave of airstrikes that Palestinians said killed dozens.

Aid into the enclave was set to resume on Monday following U.S. pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt in supplies in response to what it said was a "blatant" violation by Hamas of the truce.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets across 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.

Gaza's health authorities said at least 44 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli attacks.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire he brokered was still in place. U.S. officials, Trump said, believe Hamas leadership may not be involved in the violations, which will be "handled toughly, but properly."

The armed wing of Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement, was unaware of clashes in Rafah, and had not been in contact with groups there since March.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to respond forcefully to what he described as Hamas' violations of the ceasefire.

Accusations of ceasefire violations

The new ceasefire took effect on October 10, halting two years of war, but the Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of ceasefire violations for days.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the "yellow line" to where Israeli forces had pulled back under the ceasefire agreement would be physically marked and that any violation of the ceasefire or attempt to cross the line would be met with fire.

Hamas detailed what it said was a series of violations by Israel that it says have left at least 46 people dead and stopped essential supplies from reaching the enclave.

On October 18, Israel said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which had been expected to be reopened this week, would remain closed and that its reopening would depend on Hamas fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire.

Israel also blamed Hamas for being too slow in handing over bodies of deceased hostages. Hamas last week released all 20 living hostages it had been holding and in the following days handed over 12 of the 28 deceased captives.

Hamas said it has no interest in keeping the bodies of remaining hostages and that special equipment is needed to recover corpses buried under rubble.

International negotiations underway

During a meeting with the delegation led by senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday, Egyptian officials urged the group to establish a mechanism for handing over weapons and to withdraw from Gaza's security and political scene, Egyptian sources told Xinhua News Agency on the condition of anonymity.

Under Egypt's proposal, about 1,000 Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers would be deployed in Gaza, with the force potentially expanding later with Israeli approval. The PA force would work alongside an international security contingent expected to be supervised by Egypt, the sources said.

Cairo sees the security handover as a key step toward launching the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which it is discussing directly with Hamas without Israeli participation, the sources added.

On the same day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty engaged in a series of separate phone calls with his counterparts in Germany, Italy, Spain and Canada to coordinate international efforts for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

During the contacts, Abdelatty focused on the preparations for the International Conference on Early Recovery, Reconstruction and Development in Gaza, scheduled to take place in Egypt in November.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Germany, Italy, Spain and Canada affirmed their commitment to continuing coordination with Cairo on all matters related to Gaza's early recovery and reconstruction, specifically in the context of preparing for the upcoming international conference.

(With input from agencies)