Israel resumes ceasefire in Gaza and says aid deliveries will restart

Palestinians fear a return to war (AP)

Gaza’s fragile ceasefire has faced its first major test as Israeli forces launched a wave of deadly strikes.

Military officials said Hamas militants had killed two soldiers, and that the transfer of aid into the territory has been halted.

The Israeli military later said it had resumed enforcing the ceasefire, and officials confirmed that aid deliveries will resume on Monday.

A little over a week has passed since the start of the US-proposed ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war.

US president Donald Trump said the ceasefire remained in place adding: “We want to make sure it’s going to be very peaceful.”

He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been “quite rambunctious” and “they’ve been doing some shooting”.

He suggested that the violence might be the fault of “rebels” within the organisation rather than its leadership.

“It’s going to be handled toughly but properly,” he said.

Mr Trump did not say whether he thought the Israeli strikes were justified, saying: “It’s under review.”

US vice president JD Vance said he may visit Israel in the coming days.

Israel said aid deliveries will continue (AP)

“We’re trying to figure it out,” he told reporters, saying his administration wants to “go and check on how things are going”.

Regarding the ceasefire, he said that “there’s going to be fits and starts”.

Health officials said at least 36 Palestinians were killed across Gaza, including children. Israel’s military said it struck dozens of Hamas targets after its troops came under fire.

A senior Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said “round-the-clock” contacts were under way to de-escalate the situation.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to take “strong action” against any ceasefire violations but did not threaten to return to war.

Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines.

Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said 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”.

In #Gaza, education is a lifeline. For children who have known only war and displacement for over 2 years, learning brings hope, healing, and continuity.

Restoring education is a priority for UNRWA work because all children - wherever they are - deserve the chance to learn,… pic.twitter.com/xw0sIFFL9n

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 20, 2025

Palestinians feared war would return to the famine-stricken territory where Israel cut off aid for over two months earlier this year after ending the previous ceasefire.

Al-Awda hospital said it received 24 bodies from several Israeli strikes in the Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza.

An air strike on a makeshift coffeehouse in Zawaida town in central Gaza killed at least six Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. A strike in Beit Lahiya in the north killed two men, according to Shifa hospital.

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.