Published On 19/10/2025
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Last update: 23:18 (Mecca time)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, chaired an emergency security meeting to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli army announced a return to implementing a ceasefire based on the directives of the political leadership, after launching heavy raids that left more than 40 martyrs.
Israeli media reported that the meeting held this evening included Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, and senior leaders of the security establishment.
At approximately 6:20 pm GMT, the Israeli army announced a return to implementing the ceasefire based on the directives of the political leadership, threatening to “respond forcefully to any violation.”
At the same time, Israeli and American press reports reported that the Netanyahu government retracted a decision it took today to close all Gaza Strip crossings after it came under American pressure, but decided to keep the Rafah crossing closed.
Allegedly violating the agreement… Israel bombs Gaza, so what happens?#Gaza_War#video pic.twitter.com/mgYVthxFyH
– Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) October 19, 2025
An Israeli official told ABC: “We made a decision today to close the crossings into Gaza and stop aid, but we later retracted it.” The official added that the Rafah crossing will remain closed until the bodies of the dead Israeli detainees in Gaza are delivered at a reasonable pace, as he put it.
Likewise, Israel Hayom newspaper said that after evaluating the situation, it was decided to resume the entry of aid into Gaza tomorrow, Monday. Reports indicated that the entry of aid had temporarily stopped due to the Israeli bombing.
An American message to Israel
In the same context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that the United States sent a message to Israel stating that “you can respond to violations, but without undermining the agreement.”
The authority quoted sources as saying that Washington wants to stop the escalation in the Gaza Strip and prevent the collapse of the agreement. The Commission also explained that the United States and the mediators pressured Israel to reopen the crossings, and confirmed that the entry of humanitarian aid will resume tomorrow morning.
The American website Axios also quoted Israeli officials as saying that the decision to close the crossings was withdrawn after pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump.
For his part, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir denounced what he described as the “shameful retreat” of the prime minister’s office, as he put it.
#urgent | Ben Gvir: The Prime Minister’s Office, which announced the suspension of aid until further notice, backtracked shamefully and retracted its decision after only two hours#Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/tp7MScLS1z
– Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) October 19, 2025
Ben Gvir – who leads the extreme right-wing “Jewish Power” party – said that the Prime Minister announced the suspension of the entry of aid into Gaza until further notice, then retracted its decision after only two hours.
He added, “We must stop the policy of retreat and return to intense fighting as soon as possible through maneuvers, occupation, and encouraging immigration.”
On the other hand, the Israel Hayom newspaper quoted a senior security official as saying that “there is no longer any doubt about the Americans’ intervention and that we will never move in Gaza without their approval.”
The official added, “Any decision that conflicts with Washington’s wishes will be canceled immediately, as proven by conclusive evidence.”
The escalation in Gaza came today after the Israeli army announced that its forces and engineering vehicles were attacked by gunmen in Rafah, resulting in the killing of an officer and a soldier. The Palestinian resistance denied any connection to the attack, and accused the occupation of continuing to violate the ceasefire since its first day and fabricating pretexts to sabotage the agreement.
Source: Al Jazeera + Anatolia + Israeli press
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