Hamas denies involvement in Rafah clashes in southern Gaza

The Palestinian movement Hamas has denied any connection to the clashes that occurred in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, the movement’s military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, stated on Telegram.

“We have no knowledge of the clashes in Rafah, as the area is under Israeli control, and we have had no contact with our fighters remaining there since March of this year,” the group said in a post on its Telegram channel. The militants added that they “do not even know whether our supporters in southern Gaza are alive or dead,” and therefore the movement’s leadership “has no involvement in any incidents in these areas.”

The clashes in Rafah, southern Gaza, erupted on the evening of October 18, 2025, amid a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect on October 12. The incident, the first major test of the truce, involved Palestinian militants firing anti-tank missiles and gunfire at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops patrolling a humanitarian aid corridor near the Philadelphi Corridor, prompting immediate Israeli airstrikes on suspected militant positions in the city's eastern districts.

The IDF reported two soldiers wounded in the initial exchange, describing the attack as a "violation of the ceasefire agreement" and vowing to "act forcefully against terrorist targets." No immediate casualties were confirmed from the airstrikes, but Palestinian sources reported explosions and minor injuries among civilians in the vicinity.