Israel accused Hamas on Wednesday of violating the Gaza cease-fire by refusing to disarms and warned it would respond after an Israeli officer was wounded in an explosion in Rafah, while Hamas denied carrying out an attack.
In a speech at a graduation ceremony for Air Force pilots, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the attack in Rafah, part of Gaza where Israeli forces still operate, and said Hamas had made clear it had no plan to disarm as foreseen under the October truce deal.
"Israel will respond accordingly," he said.
The Israeli military earlier said that an explosive device had detonated against a military vehicle in the Rafah area and that one officer had been lightly injured.
Hamas denied responsibility. The blast was "caused by bombs left behind by the enemy that had not exploded previously, and we have informed the mediators of this," said Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi in an X post.
A 20-point plan issued by U.S. President Donald Trump in September calls for an initial truce followed by steps towards a wider peace. So far, only the first phase has taken effect, including a cease-fire, release of hostages and prisoners, and partial Israeli withdrawal.
Trump's plan ultimately calls for Hamas to disarm and have no governing role in Gaza, and for Israel to pull out. Hamas has said it will hand over arms only once a Palestinian state is established, which Israel says it will never allow.
Violence has subsided but not stopped since the Gaza truce took effect on Oct. 10, with the sides regularly accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
According to the Gaza media office, the Israeli army has committed 875 ceasefire violations in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 10, resulting in the death of over 400 Palestinians and injury of more than 1,100 others.
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in what Israel claims are militant attacks. The Israeli army has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,100 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.
Hamas "openly declares it has no intention of disarming, in complete contradiction to President Trump's 20-point plan," Netanyahu said.
He added that Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Israel severely weakened in strikes last year that also ended in a U.S.-brokered truce, also had no intention to disarm "and we are addressing that as well". Israel still needs to settle accounts with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as well as Iran itself, he added.
"As these old threats change form, new threats arise morning and evening. We do not seek confrontations, but our eyes are open to every possible danger," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu is set to meet with Trump next week, mainly to discuss the next phase of Trump's Gaza plan.
