Hamas accuses Israel of escalating ceasefire violations in Gaza

Hamas said on Sunday that Israel is expanding its violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which came into force in October last year after a war that the movement described as genocidal and that lasted for two years.

Hazem Qassem, the group’s spokesperson, said in a statement that “the criminal Zionist occupation is expanding its violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip by escalating the killing of innocent civilians and by moving the yellow line in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip, which means further displacement”.

The yellow line separates areas where the Israeli army is deployed — covering more than 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip in the east — from areas in the west where Palestinians are allowed to move.

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Qassem added that Israel has also sharply increased the demolition of homes in the eastern half of Gaza, saying this is a continuation of what he described as systematic urban destruction and a fully ethnic cleansing.

He said Israel continues to keep the Rafah crossing closed and to restrict the entry of aid, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel has kept the crossing completely closed since May 2024, after taking control of it during a large-scale ground operation in the city of Rafah. Since the start of the war in October 2023, the crossing had previously been partially open for limited travel cases under UN and international coordination.

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