Hamas has denied responsibility for an explosion that damaged an Israeli armoured vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the blast occurred in an area fully under Israeli military control.
The denial followed an Israeli Defence Forces statement that one of its officers was injured in the explosion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas, but the group said no Palestinian fighters were present in the area and suggested the incident was caused by unexploded ordnance left behind during earlier fighting.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Hamas said remnants of war pose an ongoing risk in Rafah and claimed it bears no responsibility for any explosions since a US-brokered ceasefire came into force on October 10. The group alleged that explosives planted by Israeli forces themselves may have caused the blast.
The ceasefire agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from parts of Gaza and Hamas to release the remaining 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas reiterated its commitment to the deal and accused Israel of inventing pretexts to escalate tensions and undermine the truce.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi also said he believed the explosion was linked to unexploded munitions. Netanyahu, however, cited the incident as evidence that Hamas has no intention of disarming, warning that Israel would respond.
Hamas called on the international community to pressure Israel to honour the ceasefire, urging it to stop what it described as efforts to sabotage the agreement.
Despite the truce, Israeli airstrikes have continued and humanitarian aid deliveries have fallen short, according to UN agencies and regional mediators. Palestinian officials say these actions amount to ceasefire violations.
