The IDF announced late Sunday that a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been reinstated, ending hours of fierce clashes that left dozens dead and pushed the enclave to the brink of renewed full-scale war.

The reversal came after the deadliest escalations since the truce began, following a Hamas ambush on Israeli troops near the Gaza border on Sunday morning that killed two soldiers and wounded several others. According to IDF preliminary reports, the attack involved coordinated rocket and gunfire targeting a patrol convoy during what had been a lull in hostilities.

In response, the IDF launched a wave of airstrikes across Gaza, hitting Hamas command centers, weapons depots, and tunnel networks. Gaza health officials reported at least 22 deaths, including civilians, with extensive damage to residential areas in Gaza City and Khan Younis.

By nightfall, the IDF said it was again enforcing the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that had held for the past three weeks. “In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and after a series of significant strikes, the IDF has begun renewed enforcement of the ceasefire following its violation by the Hamas terror organization,” the military said in a statement released around 8 p.m. local time.

The army added that Israel “will continue to enforce the ceasefire agreement and will respond forcefully to any violation.”

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, a series of temporary ceasefires since late 2023 have allowed for hostage exchanges and humanitarian aid deliveries, but each has broken down amid accusations of violations from both sides.

The most recent ceasefire was seen as a possible breakthrough — including phased hostage releases, expanded aid corridors, and a partial Israeli withdrawal from northern Gaza. Yet tensions have persisted, with Israel accusing Hamas of rearming and Hamas alleging Israel used the lull to expand settlements in the West Bank.

Sunday’s ambush fits a pattern of sporadic ceasefire breaches. Analysts have described these incidents as “red-line testing” — brief escalations used by Hamas to assert deterrence without returning to all-out war.

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