US envoys in Israel to stabilise shaky ceasefire after flareup of violence

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president's son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel on Monday to shore up the shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire, a day after the fragile deal faced its first flareup with Israel threatening to halt aid transfers after it said Hamas militants had killed two of its soldiers.

The Israeli military later said it continued enforcing the ceasefire and an official confirmed that aid deliveries would resume on Monday.

By early afternoon, it was not immediately clear if the flow of aid had restarted.

More than a week has passed since the start of the US-proposed truce aimed at ending two years of devastating Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been "quite rambunctious" and "they've been doing some shooting."

He also suggested that the violence might be the fault of "rebels" within the organisation rather than its leadership.

Since the ceasefire started, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets in Gaza, clashing with armed groups and killing alleged criminals in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn.

In the meantime, videos surfaced of Hamas militants allegedly summarily executing Gazans in the streets, following reports of the group targeting possible competitors as it looks for ways to remain in power in the Strip — which would go against the latter stages of the deal with Israel.

Violence in Rafah

On Sunday, Israel's military said Hamas militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines.

Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and "we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas."

The next stages of the ceasefire are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory.

The US plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed interim authority.

In an interview with 60 Minutes at the weekend, Kushner said the success or failure of the deal will be if Israel and the international mechanism will be able to create a viable alternative to Hamas.

"If they are successful Hamas will fail, and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was in Cairo to follow up the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups.

There is also concern about how much aid Israel is letting into Gaza, which is part of the agreement.

An Israeli security official said on Monday that aid would continue to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and other crossings after Israeli inspection, in line with the agreement.