The Israeli military has launched an air strike on Gaza and accused Hamas of attacks in a "bold violation of the ceasefire".
An Israeli military official said on Sunday local time that Hamas had carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces inside Gaza, including a rocket-propelled grenade attack and a sniper attack against Israeli soldiers.
"Earlier today, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and carried out shooting attacks toward IDF forces, which were operating to destroy terror infrastructure in the Rafah area in accordance with the terms of the agreement," the IDF said in a statement posted on X.
"The IDF began air strikes with Air Force fighter jets and artillery fire in the Rafah area to neutralise the threat, and destroyed several operational shafts and military structures where terrorist activity was identified."
"This constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond with force."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country's security forces to take "strong action" against militant targets in the Gaza Strip.
"Following a ceasefire violation by Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations with the defence minister and senior security officials and instructed to take strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip," the PM's office said in a statement.
Israel's attacks on Sunday were the most serious test of an already fragile ceasefire, which took effect on October 11.
Palestinians in Gaza told Reuters they heard explosions and gunfire in Rafah in the south of the strip and witnesses separately reported heavy gunfire from Israeli tanks in the eastern town of Abassan near Khan Younis, also in southern Gaza.
Senior Hamas official Izzat Al Risheq said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group remained committed to the ceasefire, which he accused Israel of repeatedly violating.
Hamas armed wing said it was unaware of any incidents or clashes in Rafah, and added that area falls under the control of Israel.
Israeli media had been reporting some of the Israeli strikes were also designed to support local militia, who were opposed to Hamas.
There has been significant debate and speculation as to whether Israel is propping the groups up, including the Abu Shabab gang.
A senior Israeli military official said that was a matter for the nation's intelligence agency, Shin Bet.
But he confirmed Israel was providing some support.
"There is an idea, and this is also in the [ceasefire] agreement of creating alternatives in Gaza to Hamas," the official said.
"I won't say more than that."
The ABC had earlier asked a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office how many groups Israel was support in Hamas, but the answer provided did not relate to the question.
The military official said the attacks on Israeli troops, which fuelled the air strikes, had happened as Hamas fighters crossed the "yellow line" — the area the IDF has withdrawn to as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
16 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza
Hamas has been accused of breaching the ceasefire deal, by not handing over the bodies of the remaining Israeli hostages.
There are still 16 deceased captives in Gaza, and Hamas has argued it has had difficulty retrieving their remains as they have been buried under the rubble of buildings.
While the strikes across Gaza were continuing on Sunday afternoon local time, Hamas announced it had uncovered another body and was prepared to hand it over to Israeli authorities "if the conditions in the field are suitable for it" — in other words, if the strikes were halted.
The government media office in Gaza said on Saturday local time that Israel had committed 47 violations after the ceasefire deal, leaving 38 dead and 143 wounded.
The impact of the Israeli strikes on Sunday, the most serious test since an already fragile ceasefire took effect on October 11, was not immediately clear.
The Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violations of the ceasefire for days, with Israel saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice.
Rafah has largely been shut since May 2024. The ceasefire deal also includes the ramping up of aid into the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of people were determined in August to be affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in a dispute over the return of the bodies of dead hostages. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfil its obligations in turning over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages.
Hamas has returned all 20 live hostages and 12 of the deceased but said the process needed effort and special equipment to recover corpses buried under rubble.
Formidable obstacles to US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war still remain. Key questions of Hamas disarming, the governance of Gaza, the make-up of an international "stabilization force", and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved.
The US embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ABC/Reuters
