An Israeli security official says the transfer of aid into Gaza is halted after a Hamas ceasefire violation

JERUSALEM AP The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first major test Sunday as an Israeli measure official revealed the transfer of aid into the territory is halted until further notice after a Hamas ceasefire violation and Israeli forces launched a wave of strikes The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement on the halt in aid which is occurring a little over a week since the start of the U S -proposed ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war Israel s military earlier Sunday mentioned its troops came under fire from Hamas militants in southern Gaza Physical condition leaders revealed at least Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes in central and southern Gaza Israel s military mentioned it had struck dozens of what it called Hamas targets A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations explained round-the-clock contacts were underway to deescalate the situation The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn t authorized to speak to reporters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take strong action against any ceasefire violations but didn t threaten to return to war Israel s military stated militants fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines No injuries were informed The military commented Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery Hamas which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations declared communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas Shortly before sunset Israel s military declared it had begun a series of airstrikes in southern Gaza against what it called Hamas targets It also revealed its forces struck terrorists approaching troops in Beit Lahiya in the north Strikes in Gaza An Israeli airstrike on a makeshift coffeehouse in Zawaida town in central Gaza killed at least six Palestinians according to Gaza s Soundness Ministry part of the Hamas-run cabinet Another strike killed at least two people near the Al-Ahly soccer club in the Nuseirat refugee camp the ministry announced The strike hit a tent and wounded eight others noted Al-Awda Hospital which received the casualties The hospital noted it also received the bodies of four people killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Nuseirat along with the body of one person killed in a strike at a charging point west of Nuseirat Another strike hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the south killing at least four people including a woman and two children according to Nasser Hospital The strike in Beit Lahiya killed two men according to Shifa hospital An Israeli military official explained journalists there had been three incidents Sunday two in southern Gaza and one in the north and noted that the update was partial for now More bodies of hostages identified Israel identified the remains of two hostages disclosed by Hamas overnight Netanyahu s office revealed the bodies belonged to Ronen Engel a father from Kibbutz Nir Oz and Sonthaya Oakkharasri a Thai agricultural worker from Kibbutz Be eri Both were assumed to have been killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct which sparked the war Engel s wife Karina and two of his three children were kidnapped and published in a ceasefire in November Hamas in the past week has handed over the remains of hostages Hamas armed wing the Qassam Brigades revealed that it had identified 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 deceased hostages saying the Rafah boundary journeying 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 issued bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza including on Sunday according to Gaza s Fitness Ministry Israel has neither identified the bodies nor commented how they died The ministry posts photos of bodies on its website to help families attempting to locate loved ones Specific are decomposed and blackened Certain are missing limbs and teeth Only bodies have been identified the Fitness Ministry stated After Israel and Hamas exchanged living hostages for more than 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 Ceasefire s second phase 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 noted in a report 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 revealed late Saturday that the second phase of negotiations requires national consensus He declared 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 governing body agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties as the power vacuum is very dangerous he explained Rafah dividing line navigating The Rafah journeying was the only one not controlled by Israel before the war It has been closed since May when Israel took control of the Gaza side A fully reopened traversing would make it easier for Palestinians to seek physiological rehabilitation progress or visit family in Egypt home to tens of thousands of Palestinians On Sunday the Palestinian Authority s Interior Ministry in Ramallah informed procedures for Palestinians wishing to leave or enter Gaza through the Rafah moving across For those who want to leave Palestinian Embassy staff from Cairo will be at the traveling to issue temporary excursion 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 Palestinians according to Gaza s Robustness 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 Hamas-led militants killed around people mostly civilians and abducted people in the attack that sparked the war