Hamas denies responsibility for Rafah blast

The explosion took place in an area of Gaza fully controlled by the Israeli military, the Palestinian group has said

Hamas has denied responsibility for a bomb blast that struck an Israeli armored vehicle in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and has asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to comply with a ceasefire agreement.

The US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect in Gaza on October 10, called for Israeli forces to pull back from parts of the enclave and for Hamas to free the last 20 remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The statement came after the IDF reported that an officer had been injured by an explosion in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the explosion, but the militant group countered that it had occurred in an area entirely controlled by the Jewish State’s defense forces, where “no Palestinians are present.”

Hamas stated in a Telegram post on Wednesday that remnants of war were a known risk in the region, adding that they “bear no responsibility for any of these incidents since the ceasefire agreement came into effect,” particularly regarding “explosives planted by the occupation itself in the area.”

Hamas urged Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and “refrain from fabricating excuses to escalate and undermine the truce,” reaffirming its commitment to the terms.

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Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi also stated on X that he believes the Rafah explosion had resulted from unexploded ordnance left over from the conflict. Netanyahu, however, used the incident to argue that Hamas “has no plan to disarm,” a core requirement of the truce, and warned that “Israel will respond accordingly.”

Hamas called for pressure to force Israel to implement signed agreements. It said West Jerusalem must “refrain from fabricating justifications” for continued escalation and attempts to “sabotage the agreement.”

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes have continued, and humanitarian aid has lagged, worsening conditions in Gaza, according to UN agencies and regional mediators. Palestinians have accused West Jerusalem of violating the agreement.

Israel launched its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave in response to a surprise Hamas attack in October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage.

The Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say the Israeli operations have left over 70,000 Palestinians dead.