Gaza ceasefire passes its first major test / Israel says deal is back in force / Aid to Gaza resumed after US pressure
An image of the ruins of buildings after the ceasefire as daily life continues in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 18, 2025. Photo credit: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Israel's military said a truce in Gaza was back in place after an attack killed two of its soldiers and responded with a series of airstrikes that Palestinians said killed 26 people, Reuters reported, noting it was the biggest test of the truce so far.
US President Donald Trump has declared that the truce he negotiated is still in effect. The Hamas leadership, he said, may not be implicated in the truce violations.
Trump: I think Hamas leaders were not involved
“We believe that maybe management is not involved in this. 'In any case … they will react strongly, but appropriately,'” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump said he did not know if the Israeli strikes were justified. “I'll come back with an answer to that,” he said.
Humanitarian aid to Gaza is to resume on Monday under pressure from the US, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced the suspension of supplies in response to what it described as a “flagrant” ceasefire violation by Hamas.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas targets across the enclave, including operations commanders, gunmen, a tunnel and weapons depots, after the militants fired an anti-tank missile and fired on its troops, killing two soldiers.
The Israeli strikes killed at least 26 people, including at least one woman and a child, according to residents and local health authorities. At least one attack hit a former school housing displaced people in the Nuseirat area, residents said.
“We'll have to see what happens. We want to make sure it's going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump said.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Monday in Israel
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are to travel to Israel on Monday, an Israeli official and a US official said.
Hamas's armed wing said it remained committed to the cease-fire agreement, was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and had no contact with the groups there since March.
US Vice President JD Vance did not mention the Israeli attacks in his statements to the press, but said there were about 40 different Hamas cells and that there was no security infrastructure yet to confirm their disarmament.
“Some of these cells will probably abide by the ceasefire agreement. Many of them, as we saw today, will not,” he said.
“Before we can ensure that Hamas is properly disarmed, it will be necessary for some of the Gulf Arab states to send forces to the area to enforce law and order and maintain security on the ground,” Vamce added
