US envoys arrive in Israel to shore up the Gaza truce after violence flares

TEL AVIV Israel AP Two of U S President Donald Trump s envoys traveled to Israel Monday to shore up the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza a day after the fragile deal was tested by a major flareup of violence On Sunday Israel had threatened to halt shipments of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its forces killed dozens in strikes there after accusing Hamas militants of killing two soldiers Israel noted late in the day it had resumed enforcing the ceasefire The delivery of food and other aid into the devastated territory will begin again Monday through multiple crossings after Israeli inspection in line with the ceasefire agreement according to an Israeli assurance official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren t authorized to speak to the media By afternoon it was not forthwith clear if the flow of aid had restarted Israeli regime spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian reported that U S special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about developments in the region U S Vice President JD Vance and the second lady Usha Vance are scheduled to visit the country Tuesday and meet with Netanyahu the prime minister declared in a speech in which he also warned Hamas that any attacks against Israeli forces would be met with a very heavy price A fragile truceMore than a week has passed since the start of the U S -proposed truce aimed at ending two years of war Trump stated reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been quite rambunctious and they ve been doing a few shooting He also suggested that the violence might be the fault of rebels within the organization rather than its leadership Since the ceasefire started Hamas protection forces have returned to the streets in Gaza clashing with armed groups and killing alleged gangsters in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn On Sunday Israel s military reported militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed people in Gaza according to the Robustness Ministry which says a total of people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on Oct Hamas which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations revealed communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas Under the terms of the ceasefire Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the bodies of remaining hostages Twelve bodies have already been returned to Israel and Hamas revealed it planned to return one more late Monday The next stage of ceasefire The next stage is expected to focus on disarming Hamas Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza and future governance of the devastated territory The U S plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority In an interview with CBS Minutes news operation on the weekend Kushner reported the success or failure of the deal would depend on whether Israel and the international mechanism could create a viable alternative to Hamas If they are effective Hamas will fail and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future he explained A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was in Cairo to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups Fears ceasefire may not hold upPalestinians in Gaza are wary that the deal may fall apart after Sunday s flare-up Funeral services were held Monday for specific of the dozens of people killed earlier by Israeli strikes across the strip Associated Press footage evidenced mourners lining up for funeral prayers behind bodies draped in white sheets There should be concerns as long as the matters have yet to be settled reported Hossam Ahmed a displaced person from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis There is also concern about how much aid Israel is letting into Gaza which is part of the agreement In their Oct attack on Israel that sparked the war Hamas-led militants killed around people mostly civilians and abducted people as hostages The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than Palestinians according to Gaza s Wellness Ministry which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U N agencies and independent experts Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll Thousands more people are missing according to the Red Cross