- The fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas unraveled on Sunday, Oct. 19, following a deadly exchange of fire in Rafah, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 44 Palestinians and Hamas denying responsibility for the initial attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead.
- The U.S. military deployed armored vehicles and personnel to southwestern Gaza, ostensibly to protect aid deliveries. This move has introduced a volatile new dynamic, with analysts warning that Israeli forces may not hesitate to engage American troops if they perceive interference in their operations.
- The immediate trigger for Sunday’s violence remains contested. The IDF stated that Hamas fighters launched an anti-tank missile at Israeli forces in Rafah, while Hamas denied any role in the attack. The discrepancy underscores deep mistrust between the two sides.
- The ceasefire’s collapse comes amid broader geopolitical tensions, including Iran’s accusation that Israel assassinated its president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the risk of a multi-front war involving Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian proxies.
- Israel’s blockade of food, water and medical supplies has left hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk of starvation. The U.S. State Department warned of Hamas potentially violating the ceasefire by attacking Palestinian civilians, but Hamas dismissed this claim as absurd.
A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas unraveled Sunday, Oct. 19, after a deadly exchange of fire in Rafah, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 44 Palestinians and Hamas denying responsibility for the initial attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead.
The escalation has raised fears of a full-scale resumption of war, even as U.S. troops arrived in southwestern Gaza—a move that could further inflame tensions in a conflict already teetering on the brink of regional explosion.
The violence erupted when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accused Hamas militants of firing an anti-tank missile and gunfire at Israeli troops near Rafah, prompting retaliatory strikes. Hamas denied involvement, calling Israel’s claims a “fabrication” to justify further aggression. By evening, Israel had blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, deepening a famine crisis that has left hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s deployment of armored vehicles and personnel—ostensibly to protect aid deliveries—has introduced a volatile new dynamic, with analysts warning that Israeli forces may not hesitate to engage American troops if they perceive interference in their operations.
The ceasefire, negotiated under President Donald Trump’s peace plan, had already been strained by disputes over prisoner exchanges and the return of remains. Now, with far-right Israeli ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir demanding a return to “full-scale fighting,” and Hamas accusing Israel of sabotaging the truce, the prospect of a lasting peace appears increasingly remote.
A ceasefire in tatters: Who violated first?
The immediate trigger for Sunday’s violence remains contested. The IDF stated that Hamas fighters launched an anti-tank missile at Israeli forces in Rafah, killing two soldiers. In response, Israel conducted airstrikes across southern Gaza, including areas near the newly constructed U.S. emergency pier, where American troops have begun offloading aid.
Hamas, however, denied any role in the attack. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior Hamas official, told reporters that the group “has no information about any incidents or clashes in Rafah,” which he noted is under Israeli occupation control. The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, issued a statement saying it had “lost ties” with armed factions in Rafah last March, implying that any resistance activity there was beyond its command.
The discrepancy in accounts underscores the deep mistrust between the two sides. Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian areas as cover for military operations. At the same time, Hamas and human rights groups argue that Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaigns have targeted non-combatants, including women and children. The United Nations has reported that over 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are displaced, with many facing starvation due to Israel’s blockade of food, water and medical supplies.
The U.S. State Department, in a Saturday statement, warned of “credible reports” that Hamas might violate the ceasefire by attacking Palestinian civilians—a claim Hamas dismissed as “absurd.” If such an attack were to occur, the State Department said, it would constitute a “direct and grave violation” of the Trump-brokered agreement.
Yet the ceasefire’s collapse comes amid broader geopolitical tensions. Iran, a key Hamas backer, has accused Israel of assassinating its president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash—a charge Israel denies. With Iran vowing retaliation, the risk of a multi-front war involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq looms large.
U.S. troops in Gaza: Human shields or humanitarian gesture?
The arrival of U.S. armored vehicles in southwestern Gaza marks the first direct deployment of American military personnel into the conflict zone since the war began. Ostensibly, their mission is to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid after weeks of Israeli restrictions and attacks by extremist settlers on aid convoys. Footage emerged last week showing Israeli civilians intercepting and trampling food supplies meant for starving Gazans—an act one U.S. official called “diabolical.”
But the deployment carries profound risks. Hamas, which views the U.S. as complicit in Israel’s military campaign due to Washington’s $14 billion in military aid to Israel since October, may see American troops as legitimate targets. Meanwhile, Israel’s history of disregarding U.S. interests in pursuit of its military objectives—most infamously in the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty, where Israeli forces killed 34 American sailors—suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may not hesitate to engage U.S. forces if they obstruct operations in Rafah.
With U.S. troops now on the ground, the potential for a direct clash between American and Israeli forces has never been higher, BrightU.AI‘s Enoch suggests. Should Israeli strikes kill U.S. personnel, the political fallout could be catastrophic, forcing the Trump administration into an impossible choice: condemn a key ally or risk appearing complicit in the deaths of its own soldiers.
As the ceasefire collapses, the geopolitical stakes could not be higher. For the people of Gaza, the question is no longer if the war will resume, but how much worse it will get before the world forces an end to the bloodshed.
Watch the video below that talks about the ceasefire collapse as the IDF continues its military campaign in Gaza.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
RT.com
Politico.com
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com
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