Journalism of Courage
Israel on Monday said the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the far south-east of the strip, and Kissufim in central Gaza have been reopened for aid, a day after it was closed over an alleged ceasefire violation by Hamas. An Israeli official who confirmed the development said aid flowed through Kerem Shalom and Kissufim are “in full compliance with the signed agreement”, adding that Gaza’s Rafah crossing to Egypt “will remain closed until further notice”.
The de-escalation comes after Israel temporarily halted aid shipments following what it described as a ceasefire violation by Hamas militants, who allegedly opened fire on Israeli soldiers. In response, the Israeli military carried out targeted attacks in parts of Gaza, in what has been the biggest challenge so far to uphold the fragile ceasefire, brokered by the US and Arab negotiators.
US President Donald Trump who played a major role in making the ceasefire deal a reality insisted that the in Gaza was still in place.
“We wanna make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One late Sunday.
After the initial escalations, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed later on Sunday that it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire”. The ceasefire violation had also threatened to disrupt the supply of aid to Gaza, which agencies including the UN said was still inadequate.
Both Israel and Hamas have said they remain committed to the ceasefire after Sunday’s violence.
Israel said it launched strikes across the enclave in response to a Palestinian attack that killed two soldiers operating within the agreed deployment line in Rafah in southern Gaza.
“Israel will not accept any violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” an Israeli government spokesman said on Monday, repeating that Hamas could have no future role inside Gaza and would be disarmed.
Hamas’ armed wing, which has refused to commit to disarmament under the plan, said it was unaware of clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups there since March.
Hamas has detailed what it calls a series of violations by Israel that it says killed 46 people and stopped essential supplies from reaching the enclave.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said any Hamas militants in areas of Gaza still under Israeli control must leave immediately and anyone remaining beyond the yellow line would be targeted without warning.
On Monday, US envoys met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aiming to corral Israel and Hamas to get the Gaza ceasefire plan back on track.
The US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, were expected to push to shore up the truce and then start talks on the next, more difficult, phase of the 20-step plan during their visit.
US Vice President JD Vance was also due to visit Israel on Tuesday, Israel’s airports authority said.
Netanyahu said on Monday that he will discuss regional challenges and opportunities with Vance during his visit to Israel.
Addressing Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that together with US President Donald Trump, he expected to forge peace agreements in the region.
High level US diplomacy in the region, with talks also due later on Monday with Hamas in Egypt, underscore the importance of cementing the ceasefire to Trump, who last week proclaimed “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”.
Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to Israel, aimed at discussions on the next phase of Trump’s complex ceasefire plan, was scheduled before Sunday’s flare-up in violence.
