By MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Sunday struck targets in southern Gaza after saying its troops came under fire from Hamas militants, in the first major test of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire meant to halt more than two years of war. Health officials said at least nine Palestinians were killed.
A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said “round-the-clock” contacts were underway to deescalate the situation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take “strong action” against any ceasefire violations but didn’t threaten to return to war.
Israel’s military said that militants fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines. No injuries were reported. The military said Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery.
Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and “we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas.”
The Palestinian group also said that talks to launch the second phase of ceasefire negotiations have begun.
Strikes in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike killed at least six Palestinians in central Gaza, health officials said. It hit a makeshift coffeehouse on the coastal side of Zawaida town, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government.
Another Israeli strike killed at least two people near the Al-Ahly soccer club in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the ministry said. The strike hit a tent and wounded eight others, said Awda hospital, which received the casualties.
A third strike hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the south, killing at least one person, according to Nasser Hospital.
An Israeli military official told journalists there had been three incidents Sunday, two in southern Gaza and one in the north, and noted that the update was partial for now.
More bodies of hostages identified
Israel identified the remains of two hostages released by Hamas overnight.
Netanyahu’s office said the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel, a father from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be’eri.
Both were believed to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war. Engel’s wife, Karina, and two of his three children were kidnapped and released in a ceasefire in November 2023.
Hamas in the past week has handed over the remains of 12 hostages.
Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that it had found the body of a hostage and would return it on Sunday “if circumstances in the field” allowed. It warned that any escalation by Israel would hamper search efforts.
Israel on Saturday pressed Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 deceased hostages, saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed “until further notice.”
Hamas says the war’s devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas of Gaza have slowed the handover. Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned.
Israel has released 150 bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel has neither identified the bodies nor said how they died. The ministry posts photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones. Some are decomposed and blackened. Some are missing limbs and teeth.
Only 25 bodies have been identified, the Health Ministry said.
After Israel and Hamas exchanged 20 living hostages for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the handover of remains is a major issue in the ceasefire’s first phase. A major scale-up of humanitarian aid is the other central issue.
Ceasefire’s second phase
Hamas said talks with mediators on starting the ceasefire’s second phase have begun. The next stages are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said late Saturday that the second phase of negotiations “requires national consensus.” He said Hamas has begun discussions to “solidify its positions.”
The U.S. plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority to run Gaza.
Kassem reiterated that Hamas won’t be part of the ruling authority in a postwar Gaza. He called for the prompt establishment of a body of Palestinian technocrats to run day-to-day affairs.
For now, “government agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties, as the (power) vacuum is very dangerous,” he said.
Rafah border crossing
The Rafah crossing was the only one not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side.
A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Palestinians to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority’s Interior Ministry in Ramallah announced procedures for Palestinians wishing to leave or enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing. For those who want to leave, Palestinian Embassy staff from Cairo will be at the crossing to issue temporary travel documents for entry into Egypt. Palestinians who wish to enter Gaza will need to apply at the embassy.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.
Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the attack that sparked the war.
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Samy Magdy reported from Cairo.