israel Responds to Rafah Attack with Airstrike Amidst Fragile Ceasefire
RAFAH, Gaza Strip – Israel launched an airstrike in Rafah following a terrorist attack on Israeli โฃsoldiers Friday, further straining a recently established ceasefire with โฃHamas. Several militants emerged from a tunnel and opened fire on Israeli troops, though no soldiers were injured in teh incident, โaccording to the โฃTimes of Israel.
The โขattack and subsequent Israeliโข response highlight the precarious โฃnature of the truce and escalatingโฃ tensionsโ between Israel and Hamas. โขWhile Hamas official โขIzzat Riลกak โstated theโ movement desiresโค to maintain the โคceasefire,he also criticized Israel’s continued presence โฃin parts of the Gaza Strip,labeling it a โคviolation of the agreement. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to circumvent commitments โdue to โขpressureโ from hardline coalitionโค partners.
Internal divisions within the Israeli government are also apparent, with ultra-rightโฃ politicians โคlike Finance Minister Bezalel Smotriฤ calling for โrenewed fighting – Smotriฤ simply posted the word “war” on X – and โคAvigdor โLiberman, head of the Yisrael Beyten opposition party, advocatingโ for a “language of power.” โConversely, Democratic Party Chairman Jair โขGolan urged a moderateโฃ response to โavoid pushing Palestinians towards radical โคgroups.
Netanyahu, Defense Minister โYisrael Katz, and Chief ofโ Staff of the Israeliโ Army Eyal Zamir โฃare scheduled to discuss the repeated ceasefire violations this โafternoon. A poll conductedโข by โNovinky.cz indicates uncertainty โขsurrounding โขthe truce’s longevity,โค with 9,790 readers havingโค already cast their votes.
