The nine-day-old ceasefire in Gaza came close to total collapse on Sunday in what has become its most serious test yet. Early in the morning, two Israeli soldiers from the Nahal Brigade were killed and three others wounded after what the Israeli military described as an anti-tank rocket struck troops operating behind the “Yellow Line,” the boundary Israeli forces were required to withdraw to under the ceasefire terms.
Hamas swiftly denied any involvement, issuing a statement reaffirming its commitment to the truce. Nevertheless, Israel responded with widespread airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting multiple sites in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Local health officials reported that more than 40 people were killed—the highest single-day death toll since the ceasefire went into effect.
In retaliation for the attack, Israel temporarily shut down all humanitarian aid crossings into Gaza, halting the flow of food, medicine, and fuel. Several members of Israel’s right-wing coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon the truce altogether and resume full-scale military operations. However, under heavy diplomatic pressure from Washington, Israel reopened the crossings and announced that it would return to the ceasefire.
This happened after Drop Site News reported that the deaths of the Israeli soldiers were actually from a bulldozer running over unexploded ordinance, and which the White House knew and conveyed to Tel Aviv within hours that they knew this was not a Hamas attack.
The move signaled that Washington—at least for now—remains unwilling to endorse a return to open warfare, a departure from the U.S. stance when Israel broke the first ceasefire back in March.
For Netanyahu, the renewed violence provided an expected political reprieve. The Prime Minister once again postponed testimony in his ongoing corruption trial, citing the situation as justification. Critics accused him of exploiting the crisis to delay proceedings that have dragged on for years.
While the fragile ceasefire remains technically in effect, Israeli airstrikes have continued daily. President Donald Trump had previously argued that Hamas must remain armed temporarily to maintain internal order in Gaza but last week appeared to reverse himself, suggesting—then walking back—that U.S. forces might intervene to disarm the group if the truce fails completely.