Hamas: Netanyahu Closes Rafah Violates Gaza's Armistice

An aerial photo showing the destruction in Rafah following the withdrawal of Israeli troops and when the ceasefire was imposed, Gaza (doc UNRWA-Ashraf Amra)

JAKARTA - Hamas stated that the decision of Israel's chief authority led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue to close Rafah's border crossing was a marked violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu's office previously announced that the crossing would remain closed until further notice, meaning it violated a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's decision to prevent the reopening of the Rafah crossing until further notice constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and an exacerbation of the commitments he has made before the mediators and the guarantor, Hamas said in a statement on Saturday, October 18, which was confiscated by Antara.

Rafah's crossing is scheduled to reopen last Wednesday as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement which took effect on October 10.

Since May 2024, Israeli troops have blocked the movement of Palestinians through the crossing, which is the only exit from Gaza that Tel Aviv did not control before the start of an Israeli attack on the region in October 2023.

The ongoing closure of Rafah which hinders the evacuation of injured and sick victims, restricts the movement of civilians, prevents the entry of special equipment to search for missing persons under the rubble, and obstructs the forensic team from identifying bodies will delay recovery and delivery of bodies (Israeli hostages)," the statement continued.

Hamas added that Israel's continuing violations and attacks with a total of more than 47 documented violations that left 38 fatalities and 143 injured once again showed Israel's aggressive intentions and a continuing siege policy against more than two million Palestinians in Gaza.

The Palestinian group accused Netanyahu of creating false excuses to hinder the implementation of the deal and avoid its obligations.

Hamas urged mediators and guarantors to immediately pressure Israel to reopen the crossing, comply with all treaty terms, and stop crimes that continue to be committed in Gaza.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has released 20 surviving Israeli hostages and handed over the bodies of 13 in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a gradual plan submitted by United States President Donald Trump.

The first phase includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also includes the rebuilding of Gaza and the formation of a new government mechanism without Hamas involvement.

Since October 2023, Israel's genocide war has killed more than 68,100 people and injured 170,200 others, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health on Saturday 18 October.