Israeli forces have discovered explosives hidden near the ceasefire line and faced renewed attacks from Hamas terrorists over the past several days
Hamas is working to replenish its military arsenal even as the second phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan requires the terror group to disarm, according to photos released by the Israel Defense Forces and statements from Hamas leaders. Hamas has conducted an increasing number of attacks against Israeli soldiers in recent days, while the IDF has discovered explosives hidden in United Nations provisions close to the ceasefire line where Israeli forces are operating.
The most recent “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” took place on Monday, when “four armed terrorists exited an underground tunnel shaft and fired towards IDF soldiers” operating in Gaza’s Rafah neighborhood, according to a statement from the IDF, which said it eliminated all four militants. A similar incident occurred on Sunday, when Hamas attacked IDF soldiers near the yellow ceasefire line. There has been one such attack each day since Feb. 5, with numerous others dating back to the earliest days of the ceasefire. The intricate tunnel system beneath the streets of Gaza has remained operational as well, according to the IDF.
Last week, meanwhile, Israeli forces discovered “110 mortar shells hidden in [U.N. Relief and Works Agency] humanitarian aid bags” as well as “several rockets and additional weapons” hidden inside blankets. Hamas stored the weapons near locations where Israeli troops have been dismantling terror infrastructure, suggesting the group had planned an ambush.
Hamas attacked the same Israeli brigade that discovered the explosives about a week earlier, with six terrorists opening fire on the IDF. After the firefight, “the troops conducted searches in the area and located equipment and weapons, including an explosive device, magazines, and an instructional manual for the preparation of explosives,” as well as “five inactive rocket launchers,” according to the IDF. The incident coincided with an Israeli mission to dismantle a two-and-a-half-mile tunnel shaft that “contained several underground rooms and weapons.”
The uptick in Hamas activity across Gaza threatens to upend the Trump administration’s peace plan just weeks after it entered its second phase, which depends heavily on Hamas laying down its weapons. U.S. officials briefed on the matter said efforts to disarm Hamas continue but acknowledged that Hamas’s demilitarization “remains a central challenge” for diplomats in the region.
The increased attacks on Israeli troops also come several weeks after the IDF discovered a weapons cache in southern Gaza that, according to Israeli officials, indicated that the terror group may have plans for a renewed offensive. A Trump administration official told the Washington Free Beacon at the time that the president “has been very clear on what happens if Hamas decides for some reason not to disarm.” Recent Israeli discoveries, though, demonstrate that Hamas has not begun doing so.
Hamas has also continued to rely on civilian infrastructure to hide its movements from Israel and from international observers in the territory. Israeli drones last Wednesday captured footage of Hamas terrorists using ambulances to transfer “terrorists and weapons from a hospital to a school” in northern Gaza’s Jabalia neighborhood.
“Since the ceasefire came into effect, Hamas has continuously violated the agreement and concentrated its efforts on restoring its military capabilities,” the IDF said, adding that the terror group has continued to use civilian infrastructure “on a regular basis.”
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal made clear on Sunday that the terror group will not willingly relinquish its weapons, echoing similar comments from the terror group’s other top leaders.
“Criminalizing the resistance, its weapons, and those who carried it out is something we should not accept,” Mashaal said in Qatar. “As long as there is occupation, there is resistance.”
The Trump administration, though, maintains that there is no other pathway for Hamas but disarmament.
“The demilitarization of Hamas remains a central challenge—one that we are hopeful we can overcome,” a State Department spokesman told the Free Beacon. “Demilitarization means Hamas can no longer pose a threat to Israel or the people of Gaza.”
A senior administration official confirmed to the Free Beacon that though discussions on “how to implement [disarmament] are ongoing,” it will happen one way or another.
“Make no mistake, Hamas will disarm,” the official said. “President Trump has been very clear on what happens if they don’t. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
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