In a serious escalation on Sunday, Israeli occupation forces launched a barrage of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, deploying fire belts in multiple areas and targeting civilian infrastructure. The strikes killed at least 44 Palestinians and wounded many more.
The attacks, which spanned from Rafah in the south to Jabalia and Beit Hanoun in the north, marked the most severe violation of the ceasefire agreement that had been in effect for nine days.
Densely populated locations were struck, including tents for displaced families, a school sheltering displaced families, and a press building.
All supporters of Israel are genocidal maniacs. Each and everyone of them.
The sole survivor of the Abu Marshud family massacre, child Amir Hamadeh Abu Marshud, was killed today in an Israeli strike on Al-Bureij refugee camp, joining his parents. pic.twitter.com/nFwzSH7BQS
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) October 19, 2025
Medical teams reported casualties across the enclave, with victims rushed to hospitals in Gaza City, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, and the northern region. The renewed bombardment triggered widespread panic and revived memories of the early days of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
The Israeli military claimed the strikes were in response to alleged gunfire and anti-tank missiles targeting its forces near Rafah. Palestinian resistance factions denied the accusations, accusing Israel of fabricating incidents to justify renewed aggression and derail the fragile ceasefire.
By evening, Israeli media reported that the air force had carried out approximately 120 strikes, including targeted drone assassinations in central and northern Gaza.
Quds News Network reported that journalist Ahmed Abu Mutair, a broadcast engineer at PMP Media Company, was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Zawaida in central Gaza, in another blatant violation of the ceasefire, earlier today.
Israeli Channel 12 also reported that the Israeli government had approved a military recommendation to suspend humanitarian aid and close all Gaza border crossings.
However, the decision was reportedly reversed following pressure from the Trump administration, with aid deliveries expected to resume Monday morning.
Hamas condemned the attacks and held Israel fully responsible for any collapse of the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement.
In a detailed statement, the movement documented repeated ceasefire violations since October 10, including the killing of dozens of civilians—many of them children, women, and elderly people. Among the victims was the Abu Sha’ban family, reportedly wiped out in its entirety.
The group also accused Israeli forces of maintaining a “fire control zone” along the temporary withdrawal line, known as the “yellow line,” extending up to 1.5 kilometers into Gaza’s territory. This zone, enforced with live fire, has prevented displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and denied any involvement in the Rafah incident.
The Brigades stated that the area is under Israeli control and that communication with their remaining fighters there has been severed since the war resumed in March. The group emphasized it had no operational presence in the area and could not confirm the status of its members.
Despite a media blackout, social media platforms linked to illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers reported military casualties in the Rafah incident, including the death of a company commander.
CNN later cited informed sources confirming Israeli fatalities. The Israeli army officially acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers and the injury of a third, all from the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion.
The incident coincided with what appeared to be an Israeli internal security operation targeting collaborationist militias led by Yasser Abu Shabab in eastern Rafah.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that the airstrikes were intended to protect these militias. This followed a U.S. State Department statement warning of a potential attack by Palestinian resistance groups, an assertion Hamas rejected as baseless and aligned with Israeli disinformation efforts.
The overall toll of Israel’s assault on Gaza, ongoing since October 7, 2023, has now reached 68,159 Palestinians killed and 170,203 wounded, the majority of whom are children, women, and elderly.
