Israeli forces launched an attack on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing local media. This appears to have stalled the reconciliation process brokered by US President Donald Trump.

An Israeli military official was also quoted as saying that the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas had launched several attacks, including anti-tank and sniper attacks, against Israeli soldiers stationed in the area. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Air Force struck Hamas targets in Rafah after the terrorists fired RPGs at Israeli passengers.

BBC , citing witnesses, reports that the Israeli action was triggered by a gun battle between Hamas and a local militia allegedly supported by Israel in the area of the European Hospital in Rafah, an area under Israeli control. In addition to airstrikes, the Israeli army also shelled parts of the city on the Egyptian border with artillery.

The Israeli army issued an official statement on Sunday afternoon, saying that"terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and small arms at soldiers who were eliminating terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area under the ceasefire agreement," and that in response, they carried out strikes in the area and eliminated tunnels and other military facilities used by the terrorists, as quoted by the BBC. According to the army

These terrorist acts constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement,

to which they will give a definite answer.

Hamas is trying to distance itself from the events. In their statement, which was also quoted by the BBC , they say that they have no knowledge of the clashes in Rafah, as they took place in Israeli-occupied territory, and they have no contact with their groups there, so they do not know whether they are “alive or dead.” For their part, they wrote,

We are fully committed to the terms of the agreement, the most important of which is a ceasefire covering all areas of the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, to discuss the situation, which threatens to reignite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas leader Izzat ar-Risk accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire, which he says his own organization is adhering to. According to the Gaza government information office, Israel has violated the ceasefire 47 times so far, killing 38 locals and wounding 143.

The two sides have been accusing each other of violating the ceasefire agreement reached last week, almost since the US-brokered ceasefire agreement - which US President Donald Trump proudly boasted about and which his domestic fans also highly appreciated - was reached. Israel has also closed the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which, according to the agreement, should have allowed aid shipments to enter the Palestinian-populated area.