Israel’s latest strikes in Gaza which killed three people near the ceasefire line on Monday have shaken the fragile truce brokered just a week ago. The escalation follows Sunday’s intense bombardment that left at least 28 Palestinians dead after a Hamas attack killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah. The ceasefire, negotiated with U.S. mediation, was meant to mark a step toward Trump’s proposed 20-point peace framework for Gaza.
Why It Matters
The renewed violence threatens to derail months of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilising Gaza and beginning the second phase of the ceasefire plan. Washington fears that if the truce collapses, both humanitarian aid and hostage recovery efforts could stall. The situation also underscores how delicate the current arrangement is with no clearly marked boundaries and lingering mistrust on both sides.
Israel said it fired on militants who crossed the “yellow line” separating Israeli-controlled zones from Gaza’s populated areas, calling it self-defence.
Hamas denied involvement, accusing Israel of multiple violations that have killed 46 people and disrupted aid.
U.S. officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner, are arriving in Israel to salvage the ceasefire and push the peace plan forward.
Egypt is hosting talks in Cairo with Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, focused on forming a technocratic administration for the enclave an idea Israel has rejected.
What’s Next
The U.S. envoys are expected to press for implementation of phase two of the Trump peace plan while Israel seeks the recovery of 16 remaining hostages in Gaza. Egypt’s mediation could determine whether the ceasefire holds or collapses entirely. With aid convoys still entering but the Rafah crossing closed to people, Gaza remains on edge its residents bracing for either renewed fighting or a fragile calm.
With information from Reuters.
