Description: More than 33 civilians have been killed in the city of Khan Younis as Israel has conducted aerial strikes on tent camps claiming to have targeted Hamas fighters. The Nasser hospital in Khan Younis has reported that the majority of the victims were civilians. Strikes were also conducted in Gaza City where more than 17 people were reported to have been killed. Israel stated that the attacks were conducted due to violations of the ceasefire by Hamas which targeted Israeli troops alongside the yellow line demarcation. The escalation follows UN’s official adoption of the US peace plan this week and represents one of the more serious violations of the six – week old ceasefire. Hamas rejected the ceasefire claiming it favored the Israeli position and strengthened their occupation. Testimonies from residents in Gaza City and other locations demonstrated that armed fighting despite the ceasefire hasn’t stopped.
Impact: The continued armed fighting exhibits the necessary enforcement of the mechanisms of the ceasefire in order for the collapse of the entire peace platform to be avoided. The UN’s official endorsement of the peace plan was hampered by Hamas’ rejection which makes the implementation of the other provisions of the plan more difficult. The international stabilization force has emerged as one of the major sticking points since its mandate hasn’t been precisely determined while not many countries have offered direct engagement either. Israel has continued bombing neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Syria and continued with military operations within Gaza which demonstrates the country’s unwavering position in terms of rejecting the commitments to the ceasefire and the subsequent peace agreement. Hamas’s position also fails to inspire confidence since the organization has started reasserting itself into Gaza and renounced any calls for disarmament and disbandment. Immediate return towards full – scale war isn’t expected, however, depending on the implementation timeline of the other points of the peace plan instability and humanitarian disaster still prevail in the Gaza Strip while the potential for a full – scale war rapidly rises.