Israeli Strikes and Sealed Tunnels Put Gaza Ceasefire Under Strain
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 Palestinians as the military sealed two Hamas tunnels, deepening doubts over a fragile Gaza ceasefire and stalled diplomacy.
At least 10 said killed in Gaza airstrikes that Israel says targeted Hamas commanders
IDF Gaza Division seals two Hamas tunnels spanning two kilometers near Yellow Line
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Deadly raids widen the rupture
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, with one person killed near the Nuseirat refugee camp and nine at a police station in Gaza City’s Tuffah area, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said both attacks targeted Hamas commanders or operatives preparing attacks on its troops; Palestinian accounts said the dead included eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl.timesofisrael +1
The military said the Nuseirat target was a Hamas company commander who entered Israel during the October 7, 2023, attack. It said four Hamas operatives and a member of the Popular Resistance Committees were at the police station, while Hamas rejected Israel’s account and accused it of targeting civilian police and bystanders.timesofisrael +1
Concrete closes another route underground
Separately, Israeli combat engineers sealed two Hamas tunnels in central and southern Gaza with concrete. The passages had a combined length of more than two kilometers, or about 1.2 miles, and were found in the Israeli-held part of the territory, the military said.timesofisrael +1
The tunnel operation underscores how Israel is continuing to dismantle infrastructure while saying its forces are operating within the ceasefire. Concrete can close underground passages more cheaply and with less risk than demolition, though the process takes longer.timesofisrael The military has said it remains authorized to act against what it describes as immediate threats.yahoo +1
Diplomacy struggles to contain the fighting
The violence came two days after US envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reportedly urged him to reduce attacks. Witnesses and a Hamas official also said Israeli troops crossed the ceasefire line near Khan Younis and detained a colonel in the Hamas-led police, adding another source of friction.koreatimes +1
The core dispute remains the sequence of any broader settlement. Hamas says Israeli strikes must stop and troops must withdraw before it disarms, with heavy weapons tied to progress toward a Palestinian state. Netanyahu says Israel will not leave its current positions until Hamas has fully disarmed.koreatimes
That deadlock makes each strike more consequential than its immediate military effect. Israel portrays the raids as limited action against imminent threats; Hamas says they breach the truce and has called on mediators to restrain Israel.timesofisrael +1 With attacks continuing above ground and tunnel networks being closed below it, the ceasefire is containing the war without resolving the conditions that could restart it.