Mediator Optimizes Diplomacy After Gaza's Armistice Wobbles

Gaza/DOK Conditions Of UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

Israel's fire killed three people near a ceasefire line in Gaza on Monday, while US envoys are expected to be in Israel trying to push for the implementation of a ceasefire that has faced its toughest test so far over the weekend.

A Palestinian official close to the ceasefire negotiations said efforts by Arab and US mediators would be stepped up on Monday, October 20, after helping restore calm in the area after a day of intense bombings that killed 28 people.

Israel said it launched an attack on the region on Sunday in response to a Palestinian attack that killed two soldiers operating within the agreed deployment line in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

Despite repeated violent explosions in the week since the ceasefire was agreed, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to press the start of the second phase of the ceasefire plan.

US Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to visit Israel on Tuesday, October 21, the Israeli airport authorities said.

Monday's incident in Tuffah, the outskirts of Gaza, is the latest incident along the "yellow line" that limits Israel's military withdrawal from the densely populated region of Gaza, sparking new concerns among Gazans.

Local health authorities said Israeli tank fire had killed three people. The Israeli military said troops had opened fire on militants crossing the yellow line to repel threats.

Witnesses then reported the shooting of Israeli tanks in the central Gaza Strip, east of Deir al-Balah.

Gaza City residents say they are confused where the line is, because electronic maps are available but physical markers have not been seen on most routes.

"The whole area was destroyed. We saw the maps, but we don't know where the lines are," said Samir, 50, who lives in Tuffah.

The Israeli military on Monday published a video showing a bulldozer pulling yellow beams into its place to mark the line.

Both Israel and Hamas said they remained committed to a ceasefire after the ceasefire ended on Sunday.

Hamas' armed wing said it was not aware of any clashes in Rafah, and had not been in contact with groups there since March.

Hamas detailed what he described as a series of violations by Israel, which he said killed 46 people and stopped essential supplies from reaching the region.

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned that any Hamas militants in the Gaza region that are still under Israeli control must leave immediately, and anyone left outside the yellow line will be targeted without warning.

Although there has previously been a threat to contain supplies from Gaza due to a brief ceasefire failure, an Israeli security official said the aid convoy would continue to enter the region.

Trump said his mediated ceasefire was still in effect.

Hamas leadership, he said, may not have been involved in the violation. "We think maybe leadership is not involved in that," he told reporters at Air Force One.