Israel launched a series of strikes in Gaza on Sunday in response to alleged attacks on its forces, the most serious test of this month’s truce agreement.

Israeli army says two soldiers Major Yaniv Kula, 26, and Sergeant Itay Yavetz, 21, were killed in southern Gaza.

In the same incident, a reserve soldier was seriously wounded, an army statement said. The soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment. 

The troops belong to the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.

The death toll from Israeli attacks throughout the Palestinian enclave now stands at 35 since the beginning of the day, according to medical sources in Gaza.

Israel carried out new strikes in the Strip on Sunday and said it’s stopping the flow of humanitarian aid in response to attacks that killed two soldiers, in the most serious test yet of this month’s ceasefire deal.

Al-Awda Hospital reports that six Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces bombed a tent housing displaced people in Abu Salim, west of the Nuseirat camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

A military update says fighter jets and other air force aircraft as well as artillery have been used in the strikes after what it claimed was a violation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza earlier.

Among the targets attacked were weapons storage sites and military infrastructure used by Palestinian armed groups, it claimed.

A tunnel used by Hamas was hit by 120 rockets, it added.

Hamas, which continues to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, has however denied its involvement in the death of soldiers saying communication with its remaining units in Rafah have been cut off for months and “we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas”.

Palestinians quickly feared the return of war.

“It will be a nightmare,” said Mahmoud Hashim, a father of five from Gaza City, who appealed to US President Donald Trump and other mediators to prevent the ceasefire’s collapse.

Israel is pressing Hamas to return the remains of all 28 deceased captives, saying the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed “until further notice”.

 

Hamas says it needs DNA testing device to identify bodies returned by Israel

Some of the bodies of the 150 Palestinians returned by Israel show signs of torture, which constitutes “a war crime against humanity”, a statement by the group says.

It said on Telegram: “Some of them were handcuffed and blindfolded, while others bore signs of being strangled or crushed under the occupation’s chains, confirming that the occupation executed them while they were prisoners.”

The group stressed that the identities of most of the bodies have not yet been determined, demanding a DNA testing device to identify them.

Hamas also said it needed “heavy equipment to remove the rubble under which thousands of bodies remain buried”.

“What happened constitutes a full-fledged war crime and a crime against humanity that requires international accountability and responsibility.”

The Gaza Health Ministry said earlier that the bodies of 25 Palestinians have been identified out of the 150 released by Israel so far, with some showing signs of “torture” and “beatings”.