Gaza Ceasefire on Knife’s Edge as Rockets Fly and Accusations Mount
Published Date: 29th Oct, 2025
Fragile Accord Cracks Under Fresh Barrage
Gaza/Jerusalem, October 29, 2025 – A two-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is hanging by a thread after rockets fired from Gaza slammed into Israeli territory early Tuesday, prompting vows of retaliation and plunging the region back into uncertainty.
The October 15 agreement—reached after months of intense mediation and a conflict that left more than 40,000 dead—was intended to halt the bloodshed, open aid routes, and pave the way for hostage-prisoner swaps. For a brief window, it worked: convoys of trucks crossed into Gaza laden with food and medical supplies, displaced families returned to shattered homes, and the nightly roar of airstrikes gave way to uneasy quiet.
That fragile calm ended before sunrise. At least 12 rockets arced across the border, exploding in open areas near southern Israeli communities. No one was injured, but the attack triggered air-raid sirens and forced residents into shelters. Israel’s military labeled the barrage a “grave violation” and placed forces on high alert, warning that any further launches would be met with “severe consequences.”
Hamas Claims Self-Defense
From inside Gaza, a different story emerged. Hamas officials insisted the rockets were a response to Israeli patrols that crossed agreed demarcation lines overnight. They accused Israel of using the ceasefire to tighten its grip on buffer zones and restrict movement. “We will not accept occupation under the guise of peace,” a senior Hamas representative declared in a recorded statement.
Local accounts from the southern city of Rafah described small teams firing the projectiles from concealed positions amid rubble-strewn fields. Residents said the launches were sporadic, almost impulsive—less a coordinated assault than a flare-up of pent-up frustration.
Human Cost and Humanitarian Stalemate
The incident has frozen progress on the ground. Humanitarian corridors, once bustling with activity, now sit idle as both sides trade blame. Aid agencies report hundreds of trucks backed up at crossings, their cargo of blankets, water purifiers, and infant formula spoiling in the sun. In Gaza’s understaffed hospitals, surgeons prepare for a potential influx of wounded while current patients languish on waiting lists for basic care.
In Israel, parents keep children home from school, and farmers abandon fields within rocket range. The psychological scars of past wars—etched deep since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack—resurface with every siren.
Diplomatic Scramble
Behind the scenes, mediators are burning up phone lines. Egyptian and Qatari officials have urged restraint, while the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency closed-door session. A terse communiqué from world powers reiterated that “all parties must honor the ceasefire or risk regional catastrophe.”
Yet core disputes remain unresolved: Israel demands full demilitarization of border areas; Hamas insists on an end to the blockade and reconstruction guarantees. Each rocket, each patrol, chips away at the trust needed to bridge that gap.
A Region Holding Its Breath
As dusk settles over Gaza’s tent cities and Israel’s fortified towns, the question is no longer whether the ceasefire will hold—but how long until the next spark. Military movements are visible on both sides: Israeli drones circle overhead, while Gaza’s fighters reload in the shadows.
For the families caught between the rhetoric and the rockets, the ceasefire was never just paperwork. It was the difference between a child sleeping through the night and diving for cover at 3 a.m. Tonight, that difference feels perilously thin.
The coming hours will decide whether this truce collapses into another cycle of destruction or somehow limps forward. In a land where hope is rationed like bread, the margin for error has never been smaller.
Date: 29th Oct, 2025
