Reports on Sunday indicated Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, during an ongoing week-long ceasefire. Neither Hamas nor the Israeli military have offered official comments on these reported actions. The Gaza media office has accused Israel of 48 ceasefire violations and 38 Palestinian fatalities over the past ten days. Conversely, Israel has stated that Hamas has violated the agreement by delaying the return of deceased hostages’ remains, with unnamed Israeli officials suggesting the group is “testing” the ceasefire’s boundaries by approaching Israeli soldiers.
The Rafah border crossing, which Israel took control of in May 2024, remains closed indefinitely. Israel’s Prime Minister’s office has stated that the crossing’s reopening is contingent on Hamas fulfilling its commitment to return the remains of all 28 deceased hostages. Humanitarian agencies continue to report a critical scarcity of aid in Gaza. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Saturday, increasing the total number returned to 135.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/19/israel-identifies-body-of-11th-hostage-from-gaza-amid-ceasefire-tensions