Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, November 21, 2025 – In a sharp escalation that has cast fresh doubts on the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Israel announced on Thursday that its forces had conducted airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of two senior Hamas operatives. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) attributed the operation to a violation of the truce by the Palestinian militant group, which took effect on October 10, 2025, following intense mediation efforts led by the Trump administration.
The joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet, released late Wednesday, detailed the elimination of Abdallah Abu Shamala and Fadi Abu Mustafa in precision strikes targeting Hamas infrastructure in southern Gaza. Abu Shamala, identified as the head of Hamas’s Naval Array, was a long-time commander responsible for maritime operations, including planning sea-borne infiltrations and attacks on Israeli naval assets. The military accused him of advancing numerous terror attacks against IDF troops and maritime targets throughout the ongoing conflict.
Abu Mustafa, described as the chief constructor of the tunnel network for Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, was also killed in the same barrage of airstrikes. The Shin Bet alleged that he directly participated in the captivity of Israeli hostages seized during the October 7 assault, including Nimrod Cohen and David Cunio, both of whom were released earlier this year as part of phased hostage exchanges under the ceasefire agreement. Cohen, a 19-year-old soldier at the time of his abduction, spoke publicly last week at a Tel Aviv rally, describing his ordeal and urging continued pressure for the return of remaining captives. The IDF emphasized that Abu Mustafa’s engineering expertise had fortified Hamas’s extensive underground labyrinth, which spans hundreds of kilometers and has been a focal point of Israel’s military campaign since 2023.
The strikes, which occurred on November 19, targeted multiple sites in Khan Yunis and surrounding areas, including suspected command centers and weapons caches. While Israel reported no civilian casualties from these specific operations, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claimed at least 25 Palestinians were killed in related violence that day, marking the highest single-day toll since the ceasefire’s implementation. This incident follows a pattern of mutual accusations, with both sides reporting over 400 alleged violations since October. Israel has documented at least 18 breaches by Palestinian groups, including rocket fire and incursions across the “yellow line” dividing Israeli-occupied eastern Gaza from Hamas-controlled western areas. Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of altering boundary markings to expand its territorial hold, now controlling over 50% of the enclave, and restricting aid convoys to as few as 300 trucks per day—far below the agreed 600.
The ceasefire, outlined in a 20-point U.S. plan championed by President Donald Trump, aimed to halt two years of devastating warfare that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages. In exchange for phased hostage releases, Israel agreed to withdraw from key positions, surge humanitarian aid, and discuss Gaza’s reconstruction and governance. By November, Hamas had returned the remains of most deceased captives, including those of four additional Israelis just days before the strikes. However, sticking points persist: Hamas demands safe passage for up to 200 fighters trapped in tunnels behind Israeli lines in Rafah, a request Israel has rejected as a security risk. U.S. Central Command has warned that intra-Palestinian violence, including Hamas executions of rival clan members, further undermines the truce.
In a separate disclosure on Thursday, the IDF and Shin Bet revealed details of a covert operation from July 2025 that captured Marwan al-Hams, a senior Hamas operative and director of field hospitals in Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry. Al-Hams was apprehended on July 21 in Khan Yunis by undercover Israeli forces during a visit to a Red Cross facility. The agencies described him as a key figure in the 2014 abduction and presumed death of Lt. Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old Givati Brigade officer killed just hours into a humanitarian ceasefire during Operation Protective Edge. Goldin was ambushed by Hamas gunmen emerging from a tunnel in Rafah; his body was dragged underground, along with that of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, and held for over 11 years.
Al-Hams, who participated in battlefield decisions during the incident, was suspected of knowing the precise location of Goldin’s remains in the “White-Crowned” tunnel complex—a major Hamas network later uncovered by the IDF in November, stretching over 7 kilometers and containing command rooms used by high-ranking militants. The July arrest was part of dozens of confidential operations over six months aimed at repatriating Goldin’s body for burial in Israel. Despite exhaustive searches following al-Hams’s capture, Israeli forces could not locate the remains on-site. They were ultimately returned by Hamas on November 9, 2025, as part of the ceasefire’s hostage protocol, allowing a long-delayed funeral attended by thousands in Kfar Saba.
The Goldin case has symbolized the protracted human cost of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Leah and Simcha Goldin, Hadar’s parents, have campaigned tirelessly through the “Bring Us Home” movement, staging weekly protests and lobbying international leaders. Their July 2025 rally in Tel Aviv drew thousands, with Simcha Goldin declaring, “Eleven years is too long—Hamas must end this cruelty.” The return of his remains brought closure but highlighted ongoing tensions: Hamas claimed it “located” the body amid Rafah rubble, while Israel accused the group of deliberate delays to extract concessions.
Broader context underscores the ceasefire’s precariousness. Since October 10, at least 280 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations, per Gaza authorities, while Israel reports three soldier deaths from Palestinian fire. Aid restrictions have exacerbated Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with the UN warning of famine risks despite increased truck entries. On November 18, smoke rose over Khan Yunis as displaced families inspected strike damage in Al-Mawasi tents, a designated “safe zone” now under scrutiny. Palestinian journalist Mustafa Gaber described the scene: “Displacement under fire—hundreds fleeing as tanks echo nearby.”
International mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, have urged restraint. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met freed hostages at the White House on November 20, reaffirming commitments to Phase Two: Hamas disarmament and Gaza reconstruction. Yet, with UN Security Council resolutions calling for a transitional administration and Palestinian statehood pathway, analysts fear a de facto partition could entrench divisions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking Thursday, defended the strikes as “necessary enforcement” against threats, vowing no tolerance for violations. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem countered that Israel’s actions “fabricate pretexts for crimes,” calling for U.S. intervention. As displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat queue for food amid ruins, the enclave’s 2.3 million residents grapple with uncertainty. “We’ve returned to the rubble, but the bombs haven’t stopped,” said one resident, echoing fears that Thursday’s events signal the truce’s unraveling.
This development occurs against a war that has claimed over 68,000 Palestinian lives and wounded 170,000, per Gaza’s health ministry, with thousands more buried under debris. Israel’s campaign, rebranded the “War of Redemption” in October 2025, has dismantled much of Hamas’s military infrastructure but at immense cost. As Trump touted the ceasefire as a “historic win” last month, experts warn that without resolving the tunnel impasse and aid flows, this peace could collapse like those before.
In related news, the IDF released footage of the Rafah tunnel network on Friday, showcasing weapon stores and command posts—reminders of the subterranean war that persists even in truce. Families of remaining hostages, now down to three bodies per Israeli counts, rallied anew in Tel Aviv, their chants piercing the autumn chill: “Bring them home—now.”
