U.S. envoys in Israel to shore up Gaza plan

The top U.S. envoys to the Middle East conflict arrived in Israel on Monday to inspect progress on the Gaza plan after weekend violence threatened to wreck the hard-won ceasefire.

Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing in to Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source said, after it was closed briefly on Sunday following the killing of two Israeli soldiers.

In response, Israel carried out dozens of strikes targeting Hamas across Gaza, accusing the militant group of carrying out "a blatant violation" of the truce.

But both sides insisted that they remained committed to the ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal, told reporters in Washington that as far as he was concerned it was still in effect.

Deadly strikes

"We want to make sure that it's going to be very peaceful with Hamas," Trump told reporters. "It's going to be handled toughly, but properly."

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Israel on Monday for further talks on the plan, a U.S. embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP.

Gaza's civil defense agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory on Sunday alone.

Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll to AFP, while Israel's military said it was looking into the reports of casualties.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military.

The army said that, after carrying out air strikes in response to a deadly attack on its soldiers, it had "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire" late Sunday but vowed to "respond firmly to any violation of it."

Hamas denied the accusations, and one official from the militant group accused Israel of fabricating "pretexts" to resume the war.

'Blood has returned'

The ceasefire, which began on October 10, halted more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future. But it has quickly faced challenges to its implementation.

Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.

Abdullah Abu Hasanin, 29, from Al‑Bureij camp in central Gaza where Israel launched strikes, said: "The situation is as if the war has returned anew.

"We had hoped the agreement would hold, but the occupation respects nothing -- not an agreement, not anything."

He said he had rushed to the site of the bombing to help, adding: "The scene is indescribable. Blood has returned again."