(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reportedly launched airstrikes in southern Gaza's Rafah on Sunday after "terror operatives" in the Gaza Strip launched an attack on Israeli forces in the area, local media reports claimed.

According to the Times of Israel, "terror operatives" in the Gaza Strip launched an attack on Israeli forces in Rafah, prompting the IDF to launch airstrikes in the area.

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Meanwhile, Israeli public broadcaster Kan said the air force was attacking Rafah in the south of Gaza. Most media outlets described the attack as airstrikes.

There's no official comment from the Israel Defence Force or Hamas on the reported attack.

The impact of the Israeli strikes on Sunday, the most serious test since an already fragile ceasefire took effect on October 11, was not immediately clear.

'Terror operatives opened fire on Israeli troops'

The Israeli government and Hamas have been accusing each other of violations of the ceasefire for days.

The government media office in Gaza said on Saturday that Israel had committed 47 violations after the ceasefire deal, leaving 38 dead and 143 wounded, Reuters reported.

Also Read | Israeli forces fire at bus, nine people killed: Gaza civil defence

However, the Israeli military said on Friday that“several terrorists” opened fire on soldiers in the Rafah area, causing no injuries.

The military later said it struck another group of“terrorists” that were approaching troops in Khan Younis on the same day.

"The military would continue to operate to remove immediate threats," it said.

Rafah has largely been shut since May 2024.

Israel and Hamas have engaged in a row over the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligations in turning over the remaining bodies of all 28 hostages.

Hamas has returned all 20 live hostages and 12 of the deceased but said the process needs effort and special equipment to recover corpses buried under rubble.

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The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas, including about 20 believed to be alive; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza's main cities.

It's a fragile moment with Israel and Hamas only in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the Trump agreement, designed to bring a permanent end to the war sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.

Also Read | Trump warns Hamas after video of public execution in Gaza emerges

The US-brokered ceasefire includes the ramping up of aid into the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of people were determined in August to be affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor.

Formidable obstacles to Trump's plan to end the war still remain. Key questions of Hamas disarmament, the governance of Gaza, the make-up of an international "stabilisation force", and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved.

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