DONALD TRUMP insists Gaza Ceasefire "still in force" after deadly Israeli strikes

Monday, October 20, 2025 -President Donald Trump has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire remains in effect, even after Israel conducted deadly airstrikes on the territory, claiming Hamas had violated the truce.

Israel's strikes on Hamas positions in southern Gaza were carried out after the militant group was accused of a "blatant violation" of the nine-day-old truce by allegedly targeting Israeli troops.

When reporters asked if the truce was still holding, Trump, who helped broker the deal, simply said, "Yeah, it is." He also suggested that the alleged breaches were not the work of the main Hamas leadership, but rather "some rebels within."

"We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas," Trump stated. "It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly."

Gaza's civil defence agency, operating under Hamas authority, reported that the Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory. Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll to AFP. Israel's military stated it was looking into the reports of casualties. Due to media restrictions and access difficulties in Gaza, AFP has been unable to independently verify the tolls and details.

The Israeli military claimed it "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire" on Sunday but vowed to "respond firmly to any violation."

Hamas denied the accusations, with one official accusing Israel of fabricating "pretexts" to resume the war. A security official also told AFP that Israel was suspending the entry of aid into Gaza due to the claimed ceasefire violations. Israel has repeatedly cut off aid to Gaza during the war, leading the United Nations to warn of famine.

The ceasefire, which began on October 10, had halted more than two years of devastating war. It established a framework for hostage and prisoner exchanges and an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future, but its implementation has quickly faced challenges.

Israel said two of its soldiers died in clashes in the city of Rafah on Sunday. The military stated that "terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF (Israeli army) forces" in the city, to which the IDF responded with air and artillery strikes. Palestinian witnesses reported that clashes erupted in the southern city in an area still held by Israel.

"The situation is as if the war has returned anew," said Abdullah Abu Hasanin, a 29-year-old from the Al-Bureij camp, adding that the scene after the bombing was "indescribable. Blood has returned again.

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that Hamas would "pay a heavy price for every shot and every breach of the ceasefire," vowing that Israel's response would "become increasingly severe.

Hamas's political bureau member, Izzat Al-Rishq, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire and accused Israel of continuing "to breach the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes." Hamas’s armed wing insisted it had "no knowledge" of any clashes in Rafah.

US Vice President JD Vance called on Gulf Arab countries to establish a "security infrastructure" to ensure that Hamas disarmed, a key part of the peace agreement.

Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called Yellow Line, retaining control of roughly half of Gaza, including the borders but not the main cities.

In turn, Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and is working to return the bodies of those who died. Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total handed over to 150. Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing—the main gateway into Gaza—to the full recovery of the deceased.

The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,159 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians.