Israeli airstrikes reported to have killed 32 Gazans as IDF responds to 'ceasefire violation’
IDF destroys additional tunnel system in the Khan Younis area as it works to clear terror infrastructure inside the Yellow Line
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced strikes against several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders on Saturday morning, following what the military called a violation of the ceasefire agreement on Friday.
The military had previously released a statement regarding eight terrorists who exited underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah on Friday. After spotting the terrorists emerging from the tunnel shaft, Israeli soldiers engaged the fighters, killing four of them.
The military then began a search for a Hamas commander who was with the group. The terrorists are believed to be part of a group of Hamas members who were trapped in the tunnel system in Rafah after the ceasefire agreement in October 2025.
Despite several attempts to reach an agreement which would allow the fighters to escape back to Hamas-controlled territory on the other side of the Yellow Line, the men remained trapped, as Israel reportedly demanded their surrender.
In the intervening months, there have been several attempts by the terrorists to flee the tunnels to the Hamas-controlled areas, or to engage IDF soldiers in firefights. According to a report in Channel 12 News, security officials believe the Hamas fighters exited the tunnels after hearing IDF troops in the area, intending to engage them.
In the initial confusion, the commander was able to escape the scene of the incident. However, after several hours of searching, the IDF announced his apprehension, noting that he was “a key commander in Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion.”
⭕️A key Hamas commander from the East Rafah Battalion was identified and apprehended as one of the terrorists who attempted to escape the terror infrastructure.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 30, 2026
IDF troops, together with the ISA, continue searches and additional activities in order to locate and eliminate the… https://t.co/heXnoijfr7
“IDF troops, together with the ISA, continue searches and additional activities in the area in order to locate and eliminate the additional terrorists,” the military said in a statement.
On Saturday, the military announced it had conducted strikes on “four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations across the Gaza Strip.”
Additionally, the military said it struck a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, brutally exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activities,” the military said. “The IDF and the ISA view any violation of the agreement with utmost seriousness and will continue to act against any attempt by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and civilians of the State of Israel.”
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that 32 people were killed in the strikes across the Gaza Strip, along with another 30 people wounded. The casualty figures could not be independently verified, and the Hamas-run ministry regularly includes combatants in its death figures, without identifying them as such.
Among the strike sites identified by Palestinian media, was the Sheikh Radwan police station in Gaza City. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 16 people were killed at the site during the strike on Saturday morning.
The Hamas terror organization, along with Egypt and Qatar condemned the strikes as violating the ceasefire agreement.
Both Qatar and Egypt accused Israel of “repeated violations” of the ceasefire agreement.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which have resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of individuals,” the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “These actions represent a dangerous escalation that risks further inflaming the situation and undermining regional and international efforts to consolidate calm and restore stability in the Strip.”
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a similar statement, saying, “Egypt condemns Israel's repeated violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and stresses the need to commit to the success of the second phase of the US president's plan.”
Neither country mentioned the incident involving the Hamas fighters which preceded the Israeli strikes.
On Sunday morning, the IDF published footage of the destruction of a different underground tunnel route stretching hundreds of meters in the Khan Younis area.
🎥WATCH: An underground tunnel route in Khan Yunis, stretching hundreds of meters.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 1, 2026
Inside the tunnel: 3 living quarters and dozens of weapons, including 45 grenades, 35 magazines, 10 rifles, RPG rockets & launcher, 10 explosive devices, and 6 military vests. The tunnel was… pic.twitter.com/7UdWJDmrNO
According to the military, inside the tunnel system, “three living quarters and dozens of weapons were located, including approximately 45 grenades, 35 magazines, ten rifles, RPG rockets, an RPG launcher, approximately ten explosive devices, and six military vests.”
The tunnel system was on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, the military said in a statement. Since the October ceasefire agreement, IDF combat engineering units have been working to locate and destroy underground terror infrastructure, to prevent their future use by Hamas.
The IDF’s southern command has instructed its forces to prepare for the resumption of fighting in Gaza in case U.S.-led efforts to move forward with the second phase of the Gaza peace plan collapse, Walla news reported Sunday morning.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
