ALBAWABA - The military branch of Hamas called the Al-Qassam Brigades reaffirmed on Sunday that they were fully committed to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They said that Israeli reports of armed clashes in Rafah were just excuses for more violence.
"We want to make it clear again that we will follow through on everything that was agreed upon, especially the ceasefire in all of Gaza." We don't know of any events or fights in Rafah, which is still fully controlled by Israel. Since the war started up again in March, we haven't been able to talk to our groups there.
The group made it clear that it does not have any active fighters in Rafah and cannot get in touch with anyone who might still be there. So," the statement went on, "we are not responsible for anything that happens there."
"Fabricated Clashes" are used by Israel as an excuse to bomb Rafah.
Even though they denied it, the Israeli army attacked Rafah from the air and with artillery, saying that Palestinian fighters attacked their troops. Al-Qassam and other groups strongly reject this claim.
After being hit by "anti-tank missile fire and gunfire," the Israeli military said it had gone after "terror tunnels and exposed Al-Qassam positions." But Palestinian sources said that the strikes happened in residential areas, destroying things and making families who had to leave their homes in the north panic as they sought safety in the south.
Observers in Gaza say that the latest attack clearly breaks the ceasefire. They say that Israel is creating events to keep putting military pressure on the resistance and stop ongoing efforts to stabilize the situation.
He wants to break the truce with Hamas.
Izzat al-Risheq, the political leader of Hamas, spoke out against Israel's actions, saying that the occupation forces are "making excuses to justify new crimes" while Tel Aviv's government is in chaos.
He said that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, is trying to break promises made to foreign mediators in order to appease his far-right coalition and make things worse.
"Netanyahu is trying to get out of his promises by making up lies and breaking them," al-Risheq said. A truce is still being broken by Israel, which attacks civilians and then blames the resistance for its own actions.
Escalation Again Despite the ceasefire,
Palestinian media said that Israel carried out more bombings in eastern Jabalia, killing people there. In Rafah, people who were there said they saw helicopters fire flares and artillery shells into places where a lot of displaced families were gathering.
At the same time, Israeli leaders, such as far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, called for a full-scale return to war, calling the cease-fire "dangerous." Ben-Gvir wrote on X:
"Our safety is at risk when we think Hamas will change or honor agreements." We need to get rid of this enemy group as soon as possible.
Reaffirms Commitment by Al-Qassam
Even though Israel is being aggressive, Al-Qassam said again that it is still committed to the truce and will hold Israel fully responsible for any breach or escalation.
Some of the countries that were asked to help were the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. They were asked to put pressure on Israel to stop breaking the ceasefire deal and follow its political and humanitarian rules.
Analysts say that Israel's most recent actions are part of a larger plan to weaken Hamas politically after failing to physically achieve its goals. A lot of people in Gaza think that the so-called "clashes" in Rafah are just made up to excuse more attacks while hiding the truth.
