A rocket attack near the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where Palestinian health officials reported at least 19 deaths from Israeli fire on Sunday, claimed the lives of three Israeli troops.
The attack was carried out by the Hamas armed wing. The region of the border, which was reportedly blocked to relief trucks entering the coastal enclave, was targeted by ten rockets fired from Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
There were still open crossings. According to Reuters, Hamas’ armed wing claimed to have fired rockets at an Israeli army base near the border, and the group’s media cited a source close to the organization who indicated the commercial crossing was not the goal.
According to Palestinian medics cited by The Times of Israel, Israeli airstrikes in Rafah killed sixteen individuals in the hours following the Hamas attack.
The latest deadlock in the negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire coincided with Sunday’s strike.
Palestinian authorities indicated that Hamas negotiators remained steadfast in their demand for an end to the war.
However, in a speech on Sunday for the nation’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that no amount of outside pressure “will stop Israel from defending itself.”
Netanyahu continued, “Israel will stand alone if it is forced to stand alone.”
In reaction to the cross-border strike by Hamas on October, Israel started its war. 7, during which, according to Israeli counts, nearly 1,200 people were slain and 252 were taken captive. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 34,600 Palestinians have died and over 77,000 have been injured.