Israel’s repeated ceasefire violations are part of its strategy to keep waging war on Gaza

The Israeli army announced that a soldier in Rafah had been killed by gunfire on Tuesday. Before the source of the gunfire could be confirmed, Netanyahu blamed it on Hamas, and gave the order for the army to launch “powerful strikes” on Gaza. The resumption of the Israeli bombing campaign killed over 100 people, 46 of whom were children, and 20 of whom were women, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health on Wednesday. 

Hamas released a statement saying it had nothing to do with the incident and that it remained fully committed to the ceasefire agreement in all areas. Nevertheless, the Israeli army carried out the attacks across several locations in Gaza. An army statement later said that Israeli forces had struck “30 terrorists holding command positions” in the Strip.

Later on Wednesday, the Israeli army announced that it was “resuming the ceasefire” agreement after having killed over 100 people in a single night. The killing of the Israeli soldier and the bombing campaign came on the heels of days of rhetoric from Israeli politicians, who have accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire due to the slow return of the bodies of deceased Israeli captives – something Hamas has attributed to the lack of equipment and the massive amounts of rubble to dig through in Gaza.

Tuesday’s airstrikes were not the first time Israel bombed Gaza during the ongoing ceasefire agreement, under the pretense that Hamas had violated the ceasefire. On October 19, the Israeli army said that Hamas had violated the ceasefire following an explosion in Rafah that led to the death of two Israeli soldiers. Israel claimed Hamas was responsible, despite the resistance group’s denial of the accusation and the later emergence of reports that the explosion was from an Israeli bulldozer running over unexploded ordnance. The army killed over a dozen people in its “retaliation.” 

On the same day, Israel assassinated Yahya al-Mabhouh, a commander in the al-Qassam Brigades who took part in the October 7 attack and also led an elite battalion east of Jabalia refugee camp, according to local journalists. Israel also assassinated Ramez Zaqout, another fighter who participated in October 7. 

These strikes are part of an emerging pattern in which Israel continues to manufacture pretexts to launch a flurry of strikes across the Strip, targeting both civilians and Hamas members.

Mondoweiss reviewed the records of the people killed in airstrikes since the ceasefire went into effect. The evidence points to an Israeli tactic of assassinating resistance fighters that had evaded detection during the war, under the pretext of “retaliation” for alleged violations of the ceasefire by Hamas. In essence – Israel is continuing to carry out its war during the ceasefire.

On Tuesday’s strike, the Israeli army took advantage of the alleged sniping attack to assassinate several resistance fighters, although local authorities indicate the majority of deaths were civilians.

Among the dead were commander Hatem al-Qudra, a leader in the al-Qassam Brigades, as well as Abdullah al-Liddawi, the commander of the western battalion in the North Gaza Brigade, who had also been targeted four times during the war but survived until last night’s strikes, according to local sources.

The Israeli army stated that the fighters it had targeted included three battalion commanders, two deputy battalion commanders, and sixteen company commanders, in addition to targeting observation posts and rocket launch sites. The army named al-Qudra as one of the participants in the October 7 attack.

The attack came after a tense week in Israel amid a flurry of visits from top U.S. officials seeking to ensure Israel adheres to the ceasefire, which has precipitated an internal crisis in Israeli political circles.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office on October 28, the Israeli army has committed 125 violations of the ceasefire. The Media Office added that the Israeli army has carried out 52 shootings, nine incursions into residential neighborhoods with military vehicles across its designated withdrawal line, 55 bombing operations, and 11 demolitions of civilian buildings.

Since the ceasefire on October 10, Israel has killed 211 Palestinians and injured 597, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A majority have been civilians.

Families burned alive in their tents

Among the civilians killed in Tuesday’s attacks were entire families. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the Al-Shawaf family mourned five martyrs – a husband, wife, and their four children – who were all killed inside their tent. In a video testimony for Mondoweiss, an elderly woman who identified herself as the grandmother says that the family had been alone in the tent, with no connection to the resistance or military work.

Witnesses said that three men in a tent adjacent to theirs were also killed in the same incident, although their background remains unknown.

The slain children’s aunt, Huda al-Shawaf, said that the family had been sleeping in their tent in the Mawasi area, which was considered relatively safe even during the war.

“I was preparing for the dawn prayer in my tent, and before I prayed, I heard the sound of intense bombing,” she told Mondoweiss in a video testimony. “I knew the bombing was very close to our location, so I covered my eyes and ears and sat on the ground to avoid seeing or hearing the same horror we’ve experienced over the past two years. But after the explosion, my father screamed, saying, ‘it’s Muhammad’s sons, their tent’s burning.’”

She rushed toward their tent as the fire was still burning, Huda says.

“The seven-year-old girl had been torn apart. The rocket had hit her and torn her into pieces,” she continues. “I could not bear to look at the sight. I was the first to arrive and saw all the mangled and burned bodies. I went to my sister-in-law, she was taking her last breath, uttering the shahada. I then went to the other two children, they were still alive. I dragged them outside the tent, away from the fire, and comforted them, saying, ‘You are safe, you will be fine.’ They responded and spoke a little.”

The 7-year-old girl later succumbed to her wounds, Huda clarifies.

“I then went to the eldest son, who is 17, who had finished his schooling in recent months and was now seeking a scholarship to study engineering abroad. He had been killed in his bed, as had his younger sisters.”