The Israeli army announced Thursday that it carried out a targeted strike against a rocket launch site near Gaza City after detecting a failed launch attempt. According to military officials, the projectile did not cross the Israeli border, and the site was targeted shortly after its identification, illustrating the continued fragility of the ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
This latest strike comes as talks on moving to the next phase of the truce remain stalled. Israel accuses the Islamist movement. Hamas for having violated the ceasefire twice in the past 24 hours. A source within Hamas indicated that the group was examining these accusations, without confirming them at this stage.
Palestinian health officials reported that two people—a woman and a boy—were wounded in separate Israeli fire incidents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports. These incidents are fueling concerns about the viability of the agreement, which has already been marked by mutual accusations of violations.
Israel is conditioning the opening of the Rafah crossing and the launch of the next phase of the truce on the return of the last body of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza. An official close to the Prime minister indicated that until this condition was met, no progress would be possible, despite international pressure.
Hamas, for its part, claims to have recorded more than 1,100 ceasefire violations by Israel since October, citing airstrikes, artillery fire, house demolitions, and arbitrary detentions. The group still refuses to disarm, while Israeli forces remain deployed in a large part of the Gaza Strip, which the army considers a high-risk area.
Since the ceasefire came into effect, more than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, along with three Israeli soldiers. These figures add to the already heavy toll of the conflict that erupted after the attack of October 7, 2023, which continues to weigh heavily on any prospect of lasting stability in the region.
