- Less than two weeks after the U.S.-brokered October 2025 ceasefire took effect in Gaza, Israel unleashed a wave of strikes on the enclave, claiming retaliation for Hamas allegedly killing two Israeli soldiers. Israel claimed Hamas operatives emerged from tunnels and fired grenades at least one excavator (equipment Israel claimed was operating in accordance with the ceasefire), killing the soldiers before Hamas snipers injured three more troops.
- Hamas denied responsibility, claiming the group had no knowledge of or communication with any “remaining groups” in the area, which it noted was a red zone “under the occupation’s control.” There was no primary evidence indicating Hamas fighters killed the soldiers; the only source of the claim stemmed from an internal Israeli military probe.
- Claims an excavator drove over unexploded ordnance, inadvertently killing the soldiers, were purely speculative — though there is documented, visual evidence of systemic demolition work using excavators in Gaza and longstanding reports regarding the dangers of unexploded ordnance across Gaza since at least 2019.
- Israel blamed Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants for “planning” to attack troops as a reason for Israel’s reportedly striking a refugee camp in Gaza on Oct. 25, an accusation the group denied.
- Israel has, as of this writing, launched three waves of airstrikes on Gaza since the U.S.-brokered deal went into effect, claiming that, in addition to Hamas militants allegedly killing the two soldiers, Hamas failed to return all the remains of dead hostages, per the agreement. Hamas repeatedly stated that full recovery of the bodies was proving difficult given the amount of rubble in Gaza, and responded to the Oct. 28 airstrikes by reportedly saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage it uncovered.
On Oct. 8, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of his ceasefire deal, releasing much-needed aid into Gaza and commencing a hostage exchange process in which Hamas released all surviving hostages and Israel released 250 prisoners as well as nearly 2,000 detainees it held without charges.
Less than two weeks later, Israel launched a wave of strikes on Gaza. According to the Gaza Media Office, several Israeli attacks had killed more than 40 Palestinians as of Oct. 19. Israel carried out an airstrike over the weekend of Oct. 25, and on Oct. 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a series of “powerful strikes.”Â
Israel said the attacks were retaliation for Hamas allegedly killing two Israeli soldiers — Yaniv Kula and Itay Yavetz — and also claimed Hamas was failing to uphold the ceasefire by not returning all the remains of dead hostages. Hamas has said recovery is difficult given the degree of destruction in Gaza — more than 84% of the region is in ruins. Â
Posts circulated online repeating (archived, archived, archived, archived) Israel’s claim that Hamas violated the ceasefire by killing the soldiers, while others shared (archived, archived) Hamas’ denial of the accusation. Some posts (archived, archived) claimed private contractors were injured while demolishing homes in Gaza.
Here’s what we know:
Is there proof Hamas violated the ceasefire?
On Oct. 18, the U.S. State Department released a statement (archived) claiming it had “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza,” an accusation Hamas denied.
There was no evidence Hamas fighters killed the Israeli soldiers other than the statements made by the Israeli military, which has a history of spreading disinformation. In a statement reported by many reputable news outlets, Hamas’ military wing responded to the accusation:
We reaffirm our full commitment to implement everything that was agreed upon, foremost of which is a ceasefire across all areas of the Gaza Strip. We have no knowledge of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the occupation’s control, and contact with the remaining groups of ours there has been cut off since the war resumed in March of this year.
The official Israeli government record said the soldiers “fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip” on Oct. 19 without describing how. News outlet Haaretz said the Israeli military claimed the Hamas fighters emerged from tunnels and fired rocket-propelled grenades at military excavators operating in an Israeli zone in accordance with the cease-fire agreement.” The Israeli military posted on X (archived), “Terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops operating to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area, in southern Gaza, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.”
https://x.com/IDF/status/1979872480056504512
The Times of Israel reported that an initial Israeli military probe found the operatives “emerged from tunnels” and fired rocket-propelled grenades at an excavator, killing the two soldiers. Snipers allegedly wounded three more soldiers — all heavy machinery operators — including one who was seriously injured, according to the report. The Times of Israel reported that the military investigation found that the fighters “made no attempt to abduct soldiers in the incident.”
It’s unclear whether the property demolition operation — allegedly Israeli military-facilitated — was a violation of the ceasefire, given that the deal required “all military operations” to be suspended. “The troops had been operating in the area — under Israeli control as part of the ceasefire — to clear it of Hamas infrastructure, with the assumption that gunmen could still be holed up in the terror group’s tunnels,” the Times of Israel reported.
In short, there was no primary evidence (for example, video footage, autopsy results or even witness accounts) indicating Hamas fighters killed the two soldiers and injured the other machinery operators. This claim stemmed entirely from the Israeli military.
Did excavators run over unexploded ordnance?
Several highly–circulated posts (archived, archived, archived) claimed that rather than Hamas fighters emerging from tunnels, the excavators ran over unexploded ordnance left by Israeli strikes, killing the two soldiers and injuring others in the vicinity. Unexploded ordnance is explosives that fail to deploy and can remain hazardous for decades.
One such post (archived) by Ryan Grim, co-founder of nonprofit investigative site Drop Site News, received more than 7 million views. It read:
Soon after the explosion in Rafah, I’m told by a source familiar, the White House and Pentagon knew that the incident was caused by an Israeli settler bulldozer running over unexploded ordnance — contradicting Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas had popped up from tunnels.Â
After Netanyahu said he was blocking all aid from entering Gaza in response, and unleashed a bombing campaign, the administration conveyed to Israel that they know what happened. Netanyahu then announced he would re-open the crossings in a few hours.
Grim did not name his source or their credentials, and it’s unclear whether the U.S. government knew “what happened” or conveyed that to the Israeli government. We reached out to the White House for comment and a spokesperson directed us to U.S. Central Command, who referred us to the Israeli military. We will update this story if we receive a response.
Younis Tirawi, a journalist on the ground in Gaza, claimed (archived) on Oct. 19, the day Israel said the soldiers were killed, “A group of settlers who own private companies for demolishing houses have been continuing for a week to demolish what remains of Rafah’s houses. Today, two of them were injured, most likely due to an explosive device that their vehicle passed over.” He also claimed (archived) that Israel issued a “gag order” on the “incident in Rafah.”
Tirawi then posted (archived) he was unaware of Israel’s official statement regarding the killing of the two soldiers, and apologized for causing confusion. (These posts collectively received hundreds of thousands of views.) We reached out to Tirawi seeking information regarding details around the alleged private companies and will update this story if we receive a response.
According to investigations by Israeli news outlets Haaretz and The Marker as well as a U.N. report, the Israeli military has been directly involved with the systemic demolition of property in Gaza for many months.Â
There is also visual, documented proof of demolition of homes and infrastructure using excavators in Gaza going back months. Israeli statements have claimed its operations in certain areas were in line with the ceasefire. (The ceasefire dictated a gradual withdrawal of Israeli military presence — a significant area “across the yellow line” remains in Israeli control, as of this writing.)
Additionally, the danger of unexploded weapons in Gaza has been an issue the United Nations has raised alarm bells over since at least 2019.
A May 2024 U.N. report claimed, “The risk of exposure to unexploded ordnance is at its “most dangerous stage.” Another U.N. report from later that month said “UN Mine Action Service officers said the war has already left behind around 37 million tonnes of debris, and it could take 14 years to make Gaza safe from unexploded bombs.”
In sum, there was no primary evidence proving claims that the soldiers died when excavators triggered unexploded ordnance. Reports from news outlets and the U.N. indicate a history of unexploded weapons in Gaza as well as Israeli involvement in property demolition using excavators, but claims that the soldiers died in an accidental explosion were speculative.
Did Israel or Hamas otherwise violate the ceasefire?
The October 2025 ceasefire required Hamas to return all remaining hostages as well as all the remains of dead hostages (Israel agreed to return the remains of 15 Palestinians for every returned hostage). In the days that followed the ceasefire going into effect, Hamas recovered 15 out of the 28 bodies, as of this writing.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by allegedly withholding remains of hostages. Hamas has repeatedly stated that it is difficult to locate all the bodies of the hostages because many are buried under the rubble of Israeli-destroyed infrastructure.
“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 25.
On Oct. 26, Israel confirmed that it allowed Egypt and the International Committee of the Red Cross to join in the search, including in the areas of Gaza currently controlled by the Israeli military.
On the other hand, Israel launched strikes on the central Nuseirat refugee camp on Oct. 25, allegedly targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants “who were planning to attack troops,” according to PBS. The militant group, which acts as an independent body and is not officially affiliated with Hamas, denied the accusation.
“Of course, we also thwart dangers as they are being formed, before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu reportedly said during a cabinet meeting the next day.
On Oct. 28, reputable media outlets reported that Netanyahu ordered a series of “immediate and powerful strikes,” again accusing Hamas of failing to return all the bodies of the dead hostages; Israel claimed Hamas handed over body parts that were the partial remains of a hostage already recovered earlier in the war. In response to the strikes, Hamas reportedly said it would delay handing over the body of a hostage it uncovered.
In sum …
There was no primary evidence Hamas militants killed the Israeli soldiers with grenades other than the account of the Israeli military, which has a documented history of disseminating disinformation.
There also was no proof corroborating claims the soldiers died when an excavator drove over unexploded ordnance, though the U.N. has issued warnings about unexploded ordnance left over from Israeli shelling and there is documented evidence of Israelis using excavators to destroy homes and infrastructure in Gaza.
Israel has, as of this writing, launched three waves of airstrike attacks on Gaza since the U.S.-brokered deal went into effect in early October 2025, claiming that, in addition to Hamas militants allegedly killing the soldiers, Hamas failed to return all the remains of dead hostages, per the agreement. Hamas repeatedly said the full recovery of the bodies was proving difficult given the amount of rubble in Gaza, and responded to the Oct. 28 airstrikes by reportedly saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage it uncovered.
