Israel halts aid to Gaza ‘until further notice’ as renewed fighting tests ceasefire

Palestinians watch members of the Hamas militant group searching for bodies of the hostages in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip Saturday Oct AP Photo Jehad Alshrafi AP Jehad Alshrafi Palestinians watch members of the Hamas militant group searching for bodies of the hostages in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip Saturday Oct AP Photo Jehad Alshrafi AP Jehad Alshrafi JERUSALEM AP The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first major test Sunday as an Israeli protection official explained the transfer of aid into the territory was halted until further notice after a Hamas ceasefire violation and Israeli forces launched a wave of strikes The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement on the halt in aid a little over a week since the start of the U S -proposed ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war Israel s military earlier Sunday commented its troops came under fire from Hamas militants in southern Gaza and later commented two soldiers were killed there Israel s military reported then it struck dozens of what it called Hamas targets Robustness agents reported at least Palestinians were killed across Gaza including children A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations explained round-the-clock contacts were underway to deescalate the situation The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn t authorized to speak to reporters There was no immediate U S comment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take strong action against any ceasefire violations but didn t threaten to return to war Israel s military reported militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines Hamas which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations disclosed communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas Strikes in Gaza Palestinians fast feared the return of war It will be a nightmare noted Mahmoud Hashim a father of five from Gaza City who appealed to U S President Donald Trump and other mediators to prevent the ceasefire s collapse An Israeli airstrike on a makeshift coffeehouse in Zawaida town in central Gaza killed at least six Palestinians according to Gaza s Robustness Ministry part of the Hamas-run establishment Another strike killed at least two people near the Al-Ahly soccer club in the Nuseirat refugee camp the ministry disclosed The strike hit a tent and wounded eight others announced Al-Awda Hospital which received the casualties The hospital mentioned it also received the bodies of four people killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Nuseirat Six others were killed in a tent in Nuseirat one killed at a charging point west of Nuseirat and four killed at a house in Bureij camp Another strike hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the south killing at least four people including a woman and two children according to Nasser Hospital A strike in Beit Lahiya in the north killed two men according to Shifa hospital More bodies of hostages identified Israel identified the remains of two hostages circulated by Hamas overnight Netanyahu s office disclosed the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel a father from Kibbutz Nir Oz and Sonthaya Oakkharasri a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be eri Both were inferred to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct which sparked the war Engel s wife Karina and two of his three children were kidnapped and issued in a ceasefire in November Hamas in the past week has handed over the remains of hostages Hamas armed wing the Qassam Brigades announced that it ascertained the body of a hostage and would return it on Sunday if circumstances in the field allowed It warned that any escalation by Israel would hamper search efforts Israel on Saturday pressed Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all deceased hostages saying the Rafah limit moving across between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed until further notice Hamas says the war s devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas of Gaza have slowed the handover Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned Israel has circulated bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza including on Sunday according to Gaza s Physical condition Ministry Israel has neither identified the bodies nor announced how they died The ministry posts photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones Particular are decomposed and blackened Chosen are missing limbs and teeth Only bodies have been identified the Wellbeing Ministry commented Israel and Hamas earlier exchanged living hostages for more than Palestinian prisoners and detainees Ceasefire s second phase A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo to follow up the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups Hamas reported in a announcement The next stages are expected to focus on disarming Hamas Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza and future governance of the devastated territory Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem disclosed late Saturday that the second phase of negotiations requires national consensus He disclosed Hamas has begun discussions to solidify its positions The U S plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority to run Gaza Kassem reiterated that Hamas won t be part of the ruling authority in a postwar Gaza He called for the prompt establishment of a body of Palestinian technocrats to run day-to-day affairs For now ruling body agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties as the power vacuum is very dangerous he declared Rafah territory line spanning The Rafah overcoming was the only one not controlled by Israel before the war It has been closed since May when Israel took control of the Gaza side A fully reopened navigating would make it easier for Palestinians to seek health rehabilitation advance or visit family in Egypt home to tens of thousands of Palestinians On Sunday the Palestinian Authority s Interior Ministry in Ramallah informed procedures for Palestinians wishing to leave or enter Gaza through the Rafah transiting For those who want to leave Palestinian Embassy staff from Cairo will be at the traveling to issue temporary tour documents for entry into Egypt Palestinians who wish to enter Gaza will need to apply at the embassy The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than Palestinians according to Gaza s Healthcare Ministry which doesn t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U N agencies and independent experts Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll Thousands more people are missing according to the Red Cross Hamas-led militants killed around people mostly civilians and abducted people in the attack that sparked the war Samy Magdy broadcasted from Cairo Follow AP s war coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war Source