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 wounded Gazans and Egyptian passport holders. The Palestinian resistance movement 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, meanwhile, claims Hamas is not meeting its obligations, particularly in returning deceased hostages’ bodies. Amidst the crisis, Prime Minister Netanyahu says he will run in Israel’s general elections scheduled for next year. The 75-year-old Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and is currently leading a hard-right coalition since returning to power in December 2022.