Israeli air and artillery strikes resumed in Gaza on Saturday after Israeli authorities said militants crossed the ceasefire line, an action that Jerusalem characterized as a breach of the truce. The strikes came amid a tense scene at Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where mourners gathered around bodies that the Hamas-run Civil Defense said had been killed by Israeli fire after crossing the line.

The flare-up has immediate humanitarian consequences. Israeli officials announced that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed "until further notice," a decision that risks choking one of the last major conduits for people and aid into the besieged territory. Humanitarian agencies and regional mediators had relied on Rafah as a pressure valve for civilian evacuations and deliveries of food, fuel and medical supplies; its closure will complicate relief operations at a time when Gaza's health system is under severe strain.

The confrontations also intersect with the contentious issue of hostages and the return of remains. Israel has publicly urged Hamas to fulfill its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 deceased hostages. The exchange of bodies and living detainees formed a central element of the mediated pauses earlier this year, and the collapse of that mechanism risks unraveling fragile trust between the parties and their external backers.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that Israel has released 150 bodies back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday. The ministry has also recorded that the broader conflict has claimed more than 68,000 Palestinian lives, a figure it compiles without differentiating between civilians and combatants. Those numbers underscore the scale of the humanitarian tragedy and help explain why the closure of Rafah and renewed military action are being watched closely by governments and relief organizations across the region.

The recent exchanges crystallize the diplomatic balancing act confronting Cairo, Doha, Washington and other mediators that have worked to hold ceasefires in place and broker humanitarian pauses. For Egypt, which controls the Rafah terminal on its border, the decision to keep it shut reflects security concerns and the political sensitivity of hosting large numbers of displaced Palestinians, but it also raises tensions with international agencies pressing for unhindered aid flows.

From an international law perspective, the incidents around the ceasefire line raise questions about the conduct of hostilities, protection of civilians and the treatment and return of remains. Legal scholars and human rights organizations have repeatedly urged all parties to respect obligations to protect noncombatants and to facilitate humanitarian access, warning that protracted denial of aid and movement can compound civilian suffering and fuel regional instability.

As strikes continue and the Rafah crossing remains closed, the humanitarian and diplomatic implications will reverberate beyond Gaza's borders. The cycle of limited ceasefires and episodic violence highlights how fragile negotiated pauses have become and how quickly local incidents can escalate into broader geopolitical friction, complicating efforts to secure a durable reduction in violence.