Palestinian terrorists violated the Gaza ceasefire 14 times between February 5 and February 20 and 113 times since the truce’s implementation last October, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As US President Donald Trump convened his newly formed “Board of Peace” and advanced additional diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing Gaza, Israel continued kinetic operations against Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Notably, the IDF conducted an airstrike on a Hamas command center in the Ain al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, Lebanon, on February 20. According to the Israeli military, Hamas had been utilizing the building for the “preparation of terrorist activities against IDF forces in Lebanese territory,” as well as for terrorist training. Israel’s National News Agency said that the structure the Israeli military targeted was a kitchen being used by Hamas as a command center. At least one person was killed in the strike, according to the state-run NNA Lebanon.
Palestinian militants in Gaza also repeatedly violated Trump’s ceasefire deal by both crossing the Yellow Line, which demarcates the half of the territory Israel controls from the half under Hamas control, and repeatedly firing at IDF troops. Violations reported by the IDF between February 5 and 20 include:
- On February 5, the IDF reported that “terrorists opened fire at IDF forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip in the area of the yellow line,” causing no casualties. The next day, the IDF announced that it would target a Hamas-controlled building in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) then struck the building.
- Also on February 6, the IDF said that “Forces of the Alexandroni Brigade (3) operating in the northern Gaza Strip identified earlier today several terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat.” The soldiers fired at the fighters, killing one.
- In two separate incidents on February 7, the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade Combat Team in southern Gaza reportedly “identified a terrorist who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces in a manner that constituted an immediate threat” while the Alexandroni Brigade in the north spotted a militant who “who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces in a manner that constituted an immediate threat.”
- On February 8, a group of “terrorists […] crossed the Yellow Line and approached the troops, posing an imminent threat to them. Following identification, the IAF struck the terrorists and eliminated one of the terrorists to remove the threat,” according to the IDF.
- On February 9 in Rafah, IDF forces were clearing the area of terror infrastructure when four militants “emerged from a shaft in the underground route area in eastern Rafah” and “opened fire toward forces of the 7th Brigade, which returned fire and eliminated all four terrorists.”
- In a separate incident on February 9, the IDF’s Northern Brigade Combat Team reportedly “identified […] a terrorist who crossed the yellow line” and then “eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat.”
- On February 13, the IDF said that the Alexandroni Brigade Combat Team identified two militants “who entered a building east of the yellow line.” The IAF struck the building to eliminate the threat.
- On February 14, the IDF reported that the Northern Brigade’s Combat Team “identified a terrorist who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces” and eliminated the individual.
- Later on February 14, IDF forces in the 98th Division were operating to demolish underground infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip when “IDF observations identified several armed terrorists who apparently emerged from an underground infrastructure in the area and entered under the rubble of a building east of the yellow line, in close proximity to the forces.” An IAF aircraft “struck the building and eliminated two terrorists. Additional terrorists were likely eliminated in the strike.” In response to this violation, the IDF later carried out several strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis and eliminated Ahmed Byok, a terrorist who raided Kibbutz Reim during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
- On February 15, the IDF’s Northern Brigade reportedly “identified terrorists in the Yellow Line area who were carrying out suspicious activities on the ground and approaching IDF forces.” The IAF launched airstrikes and eliminated two fighters.
- On February 16, the IDF issued a notification that its forces had eliminated six additional terrorists in eastern Rafah as part of its operations against Hamas’s Rafah pocket.
- On February 17, the IDF’s Northern Brigade identified a fighter who crossed the yellow line and “approached IDF forces in the northern Strip.” The IAF eliminated the individual.
- On February 20, the IDF’s Golani Brigade Combat Team in the southern Gaza Strip “identified a terrorist who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat.” The IAF eliminated the individual.
