Jan 8 (Reuters) – Israel’s military said on Thursday it had carried out a targeted strike on a rocket launch site near Gaza City after identifying a failed launch, as questions mount over when the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin.
The military said the projectile did not cross into Israeli territory and that the launch site was struck shortly after the attempt was detected.
It accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire twice in the past 24 hours. A source from the Palestinian militant group told Reuters it was checking the allegation.
Israel is awaiting the handover of the final body due under the current stage of the truce. An Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not move to the next phase of the ceasefire until Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli hostage still held in Gaza.
Israel has yet to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which is another condition of the U.S.-backed plan, saying it will only do so once the remains are returned.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. The Israeli military said it views “with utmost severity” any attempts by militant groups in Gaza to attack Israel.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the deal and remain far apart on the more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase.
Hamas has refused to disarm and has been reasserting its control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half the territory. Israel has said it would resume military action if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully.
Israel and Palestinian armed groups have been engaged in repeated rounds of fighting since the war erupted in October 2023.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir in Dubai and Nidal al Mughrbai in Cairo; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Alex Richardson and Gareth Jones )
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