Gaza’s nine-day-old ceasefire came under strain Sunday after the Israeli army said it launched air strikes in the territory’s south in response to attacks it claimed were carried out by Hamas militants against its forces.

Hamas, however, maintained it was adhering to the truce, with one official accusing Israel of devising “pretexts” to resume its own attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces to take “strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip”, his office said in a statement, accusing Hamas of “a ceasefire violation”.

The uneasy truce in the Palestinian territory, brokered by US President Donald Trump and taking effect on 10 October, brought to a halt more than two years of devastating war between Israel and Hamas.

The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges and was proposed alongside an ambitious roadmap for Gaza’s future, but it has immediately faced challenges in implementation.

“Earlier today, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF (army) forces operating to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area in accordance with the terms of the agreement,” the military said in a statement.

“The IDF responded with air strikes by fighter jets and artillery fire, targeting the Rafah area,” the statement said.

Earlier, an Israeli army official said Hamas fighters carried out “multiple attacks” on troops in territory under Israel’s control.

Palestinian witnesses told AFP that clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel. One witness, a 38-year-old man who asked not to be identified by name, said that Hamas had been fighting a local Palestinian gang known as Abu Shabab, but the militants were “surprised by the presence of army tanks”.

“The air force conducted two strikes from the air,” he said.

The clashes broke out as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held meetings with government ministers. Afterwards, some ministers called for Israeli forces to resume their war against the Palestinian militant group.

The national security minister and right-wing firebrand Itamar Ben Gvir urged the army to “fully resume fighting in the Strip with all force”. “The illusion that Hamas will repent, or even abide by the agreement it signed, is proving – as expected – dangerous to our security,” he added, calling for Hamas to be “completely annihilated”.

A statement from Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire and said Israel “continues to breach the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes”. (Daily Trust)