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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-29 at 08:11
HEADLINES
Rafah Attack Kills Israeli Reservist, Ceasefire Fragile
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The time is now 4:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
A grave and evolving picture in the region continues to shape the security landscape and the humanitarian outlook as of early morning. Israeli forces have framed a continuation of a fragile ceasefire with a renewed emphasis on military readiness after a deadly attack in Rafah and a new round of retaliatory strikes. An Israeli reservist, Master Sergeant (ret.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, was killed in Rafah in an attack during the Gaza operation zone on Tuesday. The military said the assault involved sniper fire directed at a building used by troops and an excavator, followed by RPG fire that struck an armored vehicle, with no further injuries reported in that moment. In response, the IDF launched a wave of strikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting what it described as Hamas infrastructure and sites that threatened troops. The incident occurred amid a ceasefire that had been established earlier in the month and underlined the fragile and evolving nature of that pause. Hamas has denied involvement in the Rafah attack, escalating questions about accountability and the credibility of the ceasefire framework.
Across Gaza, the toll from ongoing Israeli air and artillery strikes persisted through the night and into the morning. Palestinian health authorities reported that overnight strikes killed dozens, with figures varying by source and time, and hospitals in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City reporting casualties including women and children. The Israeli military said its operations were directed at Hamas targets as it sought to prevent further threats to troops on the ground and to pressure Hamas to honor the ceasefire commitments, including the return of hostages. The ceasefire observers and allied partners have cautioned that violations by either side could prompt a re-escalation, even as efforts continue to stabilize the situation and de-risk humanitarian access.
On the hostage issue, Israeli officials reiterated their position that Hamas bears responsibility for the fate of hostages and for honoring the ceasefire terms that had included progress on humanitarian corridors and information exchanges. Hamas has claimed to be locating and recovering hostages, a claim that Israeli authorities have contested in some cases, highlighting the difficulty of verification amid ongoing fighting and contested terrain around Rafah and eastern Gaza. International partners have urged restraint while acknowledging the difficulty of reconciling security concerns with humanitarian obligations in a densely populated area.
The broader security posture in the region remains influenced by the interplay of battlefield dynamics, ceasefire enforcement, and external diplomacy. Within Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defense officials have signaled that Israel will respond forcefully to violations of the ceasefire and will pursue targets that threaten its forces, while also weighing the implications for civilians and the welfare of unknown numbers of hostages still in Gaza. In parallel, the United States and regional partners continue to monitor the situation, with Washington emphasizing the importance of a durable and verifiable ceasefire and urging adherence to humanitarian commitments. At the same time, regional diplomacy is being tested by ongoing mutual accusations of violations and by the complexity of achieving a stable long-term agreement that can sustain security, humanitarian access, and political legitimacy on all sides.
In related geopolitical and policy developments with international resonance, the Green Climate Fund announced its largest ever commitment to date, backing a
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