Tension is rising in Gaza as Israel and Palestine traded blame over ceasefire violations. The dispute escalated after Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said Rafah will remain closed until further notice, contradicting a Palestinian Embassy statement that the crossing would reopen tomorrow for injured Gazans and Egyptian passport holders.

 

 

Hamas called Netanyahu’s stance a flimsy pretext to disrupt the ceasefire agreement. Palestinian officials accused Israel of 47 violations, killing 38 and injuring 143 despite a cesasefire agreement brokered by the United States on October 10. Israel claims, Hamas is not meeting its obligations, particularly in returning deceased hostages’ bodies. 

 

 

Meanwhile, the US Department of State said, it has received credible reports suggesting Hamas is planning an imminent attack against Palestinian civilians. It said in a statement that the US has alerted the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement to those reports.