The Palestinian group stated that the blast occurred in a part of Gaza completely under Israeli military control
The Palestinian group has rejected claims of involvement in an explosion that hit an Israeli military vehicle in Rafah, located in southern Gaza, and has called on the international community to urge Israel to adhere to a truce deal.
The truce mediated by the United States, which began on October 10 in Gaza, required Israeli troops to withdraw from certain areas of the territory and mandated that Hamas release the final 20 Israeli captives in return for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
The declaration followed an IDF report of an officer wounded by a blast in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the incident to Hamas, though the organization responded that the event happened in a zone wholly under the control of Israel’s military, a location where “no Palestinians are present.”
In a Wednesday Telegram message, Hamas noted that leftover munitions pose a recognized hazard in the region, emphasizing that they “assume no liability for any such events since the truce took hold,” specifically concerning “explosives placed by the occupying forces in that zone.”
Hamas pressed Israel to follow the ceasefire terms and “stop inventing pretexts to intensify tensions and sabotage the agreement,” while restating its dedication to the pact.
Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud Mardawi also wrote on X that he thinks the Rafah blast was caused by dormant munitions remaining from the fighting. Netanyahu, conversely, leveraged the event to claim Hamas “has no intention to lay down arms,” a key truce condition, and cautioned that “Israel will react as necessary.”
Hamas demanded that pressure be applied to compel Israel to execute the signed accords. It insisted that West Jerusalem must “stop manufacturing rationales” for ongoing escalation and efforts to “undermine the deal.”
Even with the truce in place, Israeli air attacks have persisted, and relief assistance has been delayed, aggravating the humanitarian situation in Gaza, per UN bodies and regional negotiators. Palestinians have charged West Jerusalem with breaching the pact.
Israel initiated its military operation in the Palestinian territory following a sudden Hamas assault in October 2023 that left 1,200 dead and 250 individuals captured.
The Gaza health ministry, administered by Hamas, reports that Israeli military actions have resulted in more than 70,000 Palestinian fatalities.