Israel To Return To Ceasefire After Gaza Airstrikes; Trump Says Hamas Leadership May Not Be Party In Violations

After a violation of the recent ceasefire on Sunday (October 19, 2025), brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Israeli military has now stated that it will resume enforcement of the ceasefire in Gaza. Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on the war-torn region in response to what it called Hamas’s “blatant violation” of the deal.

According to the Israeli military, “terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire” toward its troops in Rafah, killing two soldiers. It was after this that Israel launched the strikes in southern Gaza. Hamas, on the other hand, claimed it was “unaware” of any clashes in the area under Israeli control.

Both sides agreed to a ceasefire deal on October 10, when US President Trump signed the Gaza Peace Deal in Egypt, as per which, both sides were tasked with returning the agreed upon number of hostages.

Israel-Hamas war: Ceasefire violated or not?

According to US President Trump, the ceasefire he brokered was still in place, who said that Hamas leadership may not be involved in the violations. “We think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Either way … it’s going to be handled toughly but properly.”

Commenting on whether the Israeli strikes were justified, the US President stated, “I’d have to get back to you on that.”

Aid into Gaza was set to resume on Monday following U.S. pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt in supplies in response to what it said was a “blatant” violation by Hamas of the truce.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets across the enclave, including field commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots, after militants launched an anti-tank missile and fired on its troops, killing the soldiers.

Recent airstrikes, launched in violation of the Trump-brokered ceasefire, killed around 26 people, including at least one woman and one child, according to local residents and health authorities. “We’re going to have to see what’s happening. We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump noted.

Ceasefire restoration, air resumption soon

Israel has now said that aid into Gaza will resume on Monday (October 20, 2025), following US pressure. After 21:00 local time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it “had begun renewed enforcement of the ceasefire”, adding that it would uphold the agreement and “respond firmly to any violation of it”.

IDF’s statement, however, did not directly specify whether an earlier announcement to suspend aid entering Gaza had also been reversed.

Rafah border crossing closed: Why Israel has shut the route?

Following the violation of the ceasefire by Hamas, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu held a consultation with the Defense Minister and the heads of the security establishment and directed that strong action be taken against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.

In view of the ceasefire violation, Netanyahu has ordered that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt be closed. It will remain shut “until further notice,” linking the decision to Hamas’ handling of Israeli hostages’ bodies.

For the uninitiated, the Rafah crossing is the only exit from Gaza and is not directly controlled by Israel. The route serves as a critical humanitarian and logistical lifeline for residents of the besieged enclave. Its periodic closures underscore the complex political and security conditions in the region.

Rafah crossing’s opening will be under consideration in accordance with the manner in which Hamas implements its part in return for the deceased hostages and implementation of the agreed-upon framework.