Israel launched deadly strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, saying they were in response to attacks by Hamas militants, as the nine-day-old ceasefire in the Palestinian territory came under heavy strain.

Hamas denied attacking Israeli forces, with one official accusing Israel of devising “pretexts” to resume its own assault.

The Israeli military said in a statement: “In response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today, the IDF (Israeli military) has begun a series of strikes against Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip.”

That followed a number of strikes earlier on Sunday, including in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said at least 21 people had been killed across the territory. The Israeli m

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