Eurasia Press & News
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have violated phase one of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on at least eight occasions between November 13 and November 21, according to reports from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Since the ceasefire’s implementation on October 10, Palestinian groups have violated the deal 32 times, according to the IDF.
Hamas has yet to return the bodies of three slain hostages that it holds, further breaching the deal, which required the immediate release of all hostages, living and dead. In recent days, the Israeli military has also accused Hamas of setting explosives on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, which delineates IDF-held territory from Hamas-held territory in Gaza, under the pretext of searching for the bodies of slain hostages.
The ceasefire faltered but held this week after terrorists fired at Israeli troops near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on November 19. The IDF sustained no casualties in the incident. Since October 28, when presumed Hamas terrorists killed an Israeli soldier in Rafah, shooting attacks against IDF troops have become increasingly rare. Instead, most violations have consisted of Palestinian terrorist operatives crossing into Israeli-controlled areas east of the Yellow Line.
In response to the November 19 attack, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of retaliatory strikes across Gaza that the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said killed 25 people. Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the Israeli strikes, labeling them “brutal attacks” and “a dangerous escalation that threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement.”
The IDF later confirmed that it had targeted at least two high-ranking Hamas terrorists during the sortie, eliminating Abdallah Abu Shamala, the head of Hamas’s naval array, and Fadi Abu Mustafa, who the IDF said was the “chief constructor” of Hamas’s “terror tunnel network in the Khan Yunis Brigade, who took part in holding Israeli hostages captive.”
Below is a list of violations of the ceasefire by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups between November 13 and November 21 that the IDF has reported:
On November 16, the IDF stated that a “terrorist was identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops in northern Gaza, posing an immediate threat to them.” The Israeli military said it struck and eliminated the terrorist.
On November 17, the IDF said that “several terrorists were identified who crossed the yellow line and buried suspicious objects in the ground near IDF forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip, in a manner that posed an immediate threat to them.” According to the report, the Israeli Air Force, guided by ground troops, eliminated one terrorist before the other retreated into Hamas-held territory in Gaza.
Later on November 17, the IDF said that another individual had been identified crossing the Yellow Line into Israeli-held territory, before approaching “IDF forces operating in the area in a manner that posed an immediate threat to them.” Israel said that troops “eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat.”
On November 18, the IDF stated that forces from the Nahal Brigade operating in the southern Gaza Strip “identified two terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces.” Israeli troops eliminated both individuals.
On November 19, the IDF said that forces operating in northern Gaza had “identified several terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces.” At least one interloper was eliminated in the incident, according to the IDF.
Later on November 19, the Israeli military stated that several terrorists had “opened fire toward IDF soldiers operating in Khan Yunis,” noting that “this action constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement.” Israeli aircraft immediately “began striking terrorist targets across Gaza.”
On November 20, the IDF said that “two terrorists were identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat to them.” The IDF stated that “a hit was identified” after Israeli forces fired, without confirming whether any of the terrorists were neutralized.
On November 21, the IDF said that “approximately 15 terrorists emerged from underground terror infrastructure at two different locations east of the yellow line in eastern Rafah.” Later, Israel confirmed that six of the 15 had been killed, and five other individuals were apprehended after they surrendered to troops operating in the area and were transferred for questioning.The people who were killed and detained in Rafah may have been part of a Hamas cell, some 200 members strong, that is hiding underground in tunnels. These operatives remain on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line despite their presence violating the ceasefire agreement. In recent weeks, the United States and Israel have debated the best course of action to remedy the situation, with the US preferring that the terrorists be allowed to surrender and be deported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, ruled out granting the Hamas members safe passage out of Rafah, instead preferring to eliminate them.
“The prime minister persists in his firm stance on the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of [Gaza] while eliminating terrorist threats to our forces,” a statement issued by “an Israeli official” said, an identification that The Times of Israel notes is “often a euphemism for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.”
