A US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza appears to have survived its first major test as Israel and Hamas affirmed their commitment to the deal after two Israeli soldiers were killed in the enclave on Sunday, prompting waves of airstrikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it would begin a “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire at the direction of the political echelon.

Hamas and its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), said on Sunday morning that they remain committed to the ceasefire and rejected involvement in the attack on Israeli forces.

The stated commitment to the ceasefire comes as the deal’s key architects, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are set to arrive in the region, according to sources familiar with the planning, as the Trump administration moves to implement the next phase of the agreement.

Vice President JD Vance is also expected to lead a US delegation to Israel this week, sources familiar with the plans told CNN.

“The administration remains focused on implementing the peace agreement and we are working vigorously with our partners to do so. We’re not going to detail ongoing private diplomatic conversations,” a US official told CNN.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel carried out a series of strikes across Gaza after it accused Hamas of carrying out an attack that killed two IDF soldiers – Major Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sergeant Itay Yavetz – marking the first time Israeli troops have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire.

The Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people in several parts of Gaza on Sunday, according to data from Gaza’s hospitals.

Both Hamas and the IDF blamed the other for violating the ceasefire.

Scenes of panic emerged in Gaza during the strikes, where crowds were seen gathered at al-Aqsa hospital as casualties were rushed into the facility.

“We were sitting in a cafeteria, drinking tea and coffee, and suddenly we heard the news — they were hit and bombed, and everyone was killed. That’s all that happened,” Sallih Salman, the brother of one of the deceased Palestinians, told Reuters.

Amid the renewed strikes, the AQB said it found the body of another Israeli hostage during ongoing search operations, “and will hand it over today if field conditions permit.”

The AQB warned that any escalation by the Israeli military would “hinder search, excavation, and the recovery of bodies.”

Aid deliveries continue

Deliveries of aid into Gaza will continue on Monday after Israel announced they would be halted on Sunday, a senior Israeli official told CNN.

The quick announcement of the continuation of aid – only hours after the declared pause – means the deliveries of humanitarian aid may not have been affected.

Israel’s continuation of aid is an indication of the goal of maintaining key components of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas. But the Rafah Crossing will remain closed, the official said, as Israel awaits the return of the remaining hostage bodies.

Earlier this year, a UN-backed initiative said parts of Gaza were facing famine and the truce raised hopes of a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure to respond to any violations from far-right parties supporting his coalition.

Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, described the resumption of aid as a “shameful backdown.”

“All this on a day when Hamas murdered two IDF soldiers, and continues to violate the agreement and refuses to hand over all the bodies of our fallen,” he wrote on X, “Enough of the backdowns.”

Clashes in Rafah

Israel had carried out strikes in Gaza on Sunday after an Israeli military official said Hamas attacked Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire.

Hamas fired towards Israeli forces beyond the Yellow Line – the line behind which Israeli troops have withdrawn according to the ceasefire deal – in three separate incidents on Sunday, according to another military official.

The AQB denied knowledge of “any events or clashes” in Rafah and said they are committed to the truce “throughout all areas of the Gaza Strip.”

While much is unknown about the incident Rafah, it occurred on Sunday morning as Hamas said its internal Rada’a security force was targeting a “hideout” of an Israel-backed militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab. In June, Israel confirmed it was arming several such militias in an attempt to counter Hamas.

Muhammad Shehada, a Gaza expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said these militias now operate from within Israeli-occupied areas in Gaza from which they “descend on the other half of Gaza, carry out attacks, then go run back to those protected areas.”

Since the ceasefire began last week, Hamas has carried out what it has called a “security campaign” aimed at “collaborators, mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and those cooperating with the Zionist enemy throughout the Gaza Strip.”

The internal clashes have created a volatile security situation in the battered enclave with violence erupting between Hamas and rival groups in several areas across Gaza, including an incident that culminated in an apparent public execution of eight people in a square in Gaza City while large crowds were watching.

Sunday’s incident brought further strain to the ceasefire, with the next steps still unresolved.

Israel has shot and killed Palestinians it accused of approaching the Yellow Line, in what Hamas has called a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire commitments. Israel has also accused Hamas of delaying the return of all of the deceased hostages held in Gaza as required by the deal, and has closed a key border crossing until further notice.

Hamas has returned 12 of the 28 bodies of deceased hostages in line with the ceasefire agreement with Israel. All 12 have now been formally identified.(CNN)