Gaza ceasefire on knife edge

NETANYAHU: 'TAKE STRONG ACTION AGAINST TERRORISTS'

- 

Gaza's nine-day-old ceasefire came under strain yesterday after the Israeli army said it launched air strikes in the territory's south in response to attacks it claimed were carried out by Hamas militants against its forces.

Hamas, however, maintained it was adhering to the truce, with one official accusing Israel of devising “pretexts” to resume its own attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces to take “strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip”, his office said in a statement, accusing Hamas of “a ceasefire violation”.

The uneasy truce in the Palestinian territory, brokered by US President Donald Trump and taking effect on 10 October, brought to a halt more than two years of devastating war between Israel and Hamas.