Israel halts supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza 'until further notice' after Hamas's 'multiple attacks' as IDF undertakes 'wave of strikes' in retaliation
Israel says it has halted the supply of humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip in the latest and most serious test of this month's US-brokered ceasefire.
It also comes as Israel launched a series of strikes on Sunday after accusing Hamas of carrying out attacks on its forces in what it called a 'bold violation' of the peace deal.
An Israeli official confirmed its suspension of delivery of aid into the Palestinian enclave, and said that the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip will remain halted 'until further notice.'
Israel's decision to suspend aid comes after famine was formally confirmed in parts of the Palestinian enclave back in August, with almost a quarter of its population facing starvation.
Since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last week, around 560 metric tons of food had entered the Gaza Strip per day on average.
Residents and local health authorities claimed that Israeli airstrikes and tank fire across the enclave on Sunday killed at least 21 people.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said six of the victims were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a 'group of civilians' in Zuwaida town in central Gaza.
Six other people, including children, were killed and 13 others injured in two separate strikes near Nuseirat in central Gaza, Bassal said.
Smoke rises from Gaza following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Israel, October 19, 2025
Israel says it has halted the supply of humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip
It comes as Israel launched a series of strikes in Gaza on Sunday after accusing Hamas of carrying out attacks on its forces. Pictured: A Palestinian woman reacts after her relative was killed in an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2025
The fatalities were confirmed by Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital and Al-Awda hospital.
A woman and two children were killed when a drone strike hit a tent housing displaced people near Asdaa City, north of Khan Yunis.
Two people, including a journalist, were killed and several others injured in an Israeli strike in the western part of Zuwaida town in central Gaza.
In another attack, two people were killed and several injured when an Israeli strike hit a tent in the Al-Ahli Club area in Nuseirat, central Gaza, Bassal said.
Two more people were killed in an Israeli air strike in eastern Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, he added.
Among the dead are six members of Hamas' al-Qassam Bridages, including commander Yahya al-Mabhou, according to local sources.
The Israeli Defence Forces said it was checking reports of casualties, and confirmed in a statement that it had struck 'dozens of Hamas terror targets'.
'The targets struck included weapons storage facilities, infrastructure used for terrorist activity, firing posts, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites.'
Residents in Gaza and local health authorities said that Israeli airstrikes and tank fire across the enclave on Sunday killed at least 21 people. Pictured: Palestinians mourn for their relatives those who lost their lives in Israeli airstrike despite ceasefire in Gaza Strip on October 19, 2025
The IDF confirmed in a statement that it had struck 'dozens of Hamas terror targets'. Pictured: A man mourns following an Israeli strike that reportedly struck a house used by journalists in the Al-Zawayda city near Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza on October 19, 2025
The IDF added it had also struck and dismantled six kilometres of underground terrorist infrastructure and said that it will 'continue to respond firmly and will operate to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to respond forcefully to what he described as Hamas' violations of the ceasefire.
The military said militants in the southern area of Rafah had launched an anti-tank missile and fired on its soldiers.
The armed wing of Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement, was unaware of clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups there since March.
A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said 'round-the-clock' contacts were underway to deescalate the situation.
Fearing the truce may collapse, some Palestinians rushed to buy goods from a main market in Nuseirat camp and families quit their homes in Khan Younis further south, after airstrikes hit nearby.
The strikes were reminiscent of Israel's response to what it viewed as serious violations of its ceasefire with Hamas' Lebanese ally Hezbollah in late 2024 - a truce agreement which has largely held since.
But formidable obstacles remain in the way of a durable peace in Gaza, where a ceasefire collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm when Israel fired a barrage of airstrikes.
It comes as Israel identified the remains of two hostages released by Hamas overnight.
Netanyahu's office said the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel, a father from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be'eri.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to respond forcefully to what he described as Hamas' violations of the ceasefire
People run for cover following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on October 19, 2025
Both were believed to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.
Engel's wife, Karina, and two of his three children were kidnapped and released in a ceasefire in November 2023.
Hamas in the past week has handed over the remains of 12 hostages.
Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that it had found the body of a hostage and would return it on Sunday 'if circumstances in the field' allowed. It warned that any escalation by Israel would hamper search efforts.
Israel on Saturday pressed Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 deceased hostages, saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed 'until further notice.'
Hamas says the war's devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas of Gaza have slowed the handover. Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned.
Israel has released 150 bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel has neither identified the bodies nor said how they died.
The ministry posts photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones. Some are decomposed and blackened. Some are missing limbs and teeth.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the Donald Trump-brokered peace deal. (Hamas gunmen pictured on October 15)
Only 25 bodies have been identified, the Health Ministry said.
After Israel and Hamas exchanged 20 living hostages for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the handover of remains is a major issue in the ceasefire's first phase. A major scale-up of humanitarian aid is the other central issue.
A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo to follow up the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups, Hamas said in a statement.
The next stages are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said late Saturday that the second phase of negotiations 'requires national consensus.' He said Hamas has begun discussions to 'solidify its positions.'
The U.S. plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority to run Gaza.
Kassem reiterated that Hamas won't be part of the ruling authority in a postwar Gaza. He called for the prompt establishment of a body of Palestinian technocrats to run day-to-day affairs.
For now, 'government agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties, as the (power) vacuum is very dangerous,' he said.
The Rafah crossing was the only one not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side.
A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Palestinians to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority's Interior Ministry in Ramallah announced procedures for Palestinians wishing to leave or enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
For those who want to leave, Palestinian Embassy staff from Cairo will be at the crossing to issue temporary travel documents for entry into Egypt. Palestinians who wish to enter Gaza will need to apply at the embassy.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't 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.
The war began with Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, when militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 captives.
Israel's retaliatory campaign killed more than 68,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.
