The Israeli military announced that it had restored a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after conducting a series of airstrikes that killed 26 Palestinians on October 19.
The attack was called by Israel a "necessary" response after a anti-tank missile launch that killed two of their soldiers, raising concerns about the collapse of the US-intermediated ceasefire.
Israel said the strikes targeted several Hamas targets, including battlefield commanders, gunmen, weapons depots and an underground tunnel.
One of the airstrikes hit the Nuseirat area, where a school was used as a shelter for refugees. Health officials and local people said that among the victims were women and children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to " respond strongly" to what he called a violation of the Hamas deal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the "golden line" - the line of Israel's withdrawal under the ceasefire agreement - would be clearly marked and any acts of crossing this limit would "be met with retaliation".
US President Donald Trump affirmed that the ceasefire agreement he mediated was still in effect, while emphasizing that Washington believed that Hamass leadership did not directly direct the recent attacks. He said that some insurgents in the organization could act independently, but stressed that the incident will be handled severely and fairly.
An Israeli security source said that humanitarian aid to Gaza will be resumed under US pressure, after Tel Aviv temporarily stopped providing relief goods because it believed Hamas violated the ceasefire. The delegation of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US special missionary, is expected to go to Israel to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, the Hamas armed wing said it remains committed to a ceasefire and has no contact with the groups fighting in Rafah. A spokesperson for the organization accused new Israel of being the violator, as airstrikes and blockades of relief goods have killed at least 46 Palestinians in recent days.
Amid the tense atmosphere, many families in Khan Younis and Nuseirat rushed to leave their homes for fear of renewed violence. These images recall the previous conflict between Israel and Hamas, when ceasefire agreements had broken down many times in just a few days of brief peace.
