Israel Claims To Comply With Gaza's Ceasefire After Air Strike Kills 104 People

JAKARTA - The Israeli military claims to comply with a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, after airstrikes in Gaza killed 104 people.

Israel, which launched airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday night, said it was stepping up the attack in retaliation for Palestinian militant actions killing a soldier.

Reported by Reuters on Wednesday, October 29, the Israeli military said it would continue to enforce the ceasefire agreement and would respond firmly to "every violation".

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the US-backed ceasefire was not at risk even when Israeli planes attacked Gaza, with Israel and the militant group Hamas blaming each other for the violations of the ceasefire.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli attacks killed 104 people, including five people at home who were hit by an attack on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, four people in buildings in the Sabra neighborhood, Gaza City, and five people in a car in Khan Younis.

"As far as I understand, they shot dead an Israeli soldier," Trump told reporters on the Air Force One plane. "So, Israel retaliated and they should have retaliated. When that happened, they should have responded," he added.

The Israeli military confirmed the soldier's death on Wednesday.

"Nothing will harm" the ceasefire, Trump said. "You have to understand that Hamas is just a small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to be good," he said.

Some displaced Palestinians fear the ceasefire will fall apart. Ismail Zayda, 40, father of three, recalled the sound of an explosion throughout the night, a reminder of the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

"It was one of the worst nights since the ceasefire was signed. The sound of explosions and planes made us feel as if the war had started again," Zayda, who lives in tents in western Gaza City with 25 family members, told Reuters through a chat application.

An Israeli military official said Hamas had violated the ceasefire by carrying out attacks on Israeli troops stationed within the so-called "yellow lines", a line of placement agreed upon in the ceasefire.

The agreement came into force on October 10, halting a two-year war sparked by a deadly Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

"If they (Hamas) are good, they will be happy, and if they are not good, they will be eradicated, their lives will be eradicated," Trump said.

"No one knows what happened to the Israeli army, but they said it was a sniper shot. And it was retaliation for his actions, and I think they had the right to do that," Trump continued.

Hamas has denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli troops in Rafah, in southern Gaza, and said they remain committed to a ceasefire agreement.