Hamas denied responsibility and said in a statement that the unexploded ordnance had been planted by the occupation itself.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas said on Wednesday it was not responsible for an explosion that struck an Israeli armored vehicle in Rafah, southern Gaza, urging international pressure on Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement in the enclave.
The Israeli occupation military said an officer was wounded when an explosive device detonated in Rafah, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blaming Hamas for the incident.
In a statement, Hamas said the explosion occurred in an area fully controlled by Israeli forces, “where no Palestinian is present or working.”
Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi refuted Netanyahu's claims that an Israeli army officer was injured in Rafah due to the detonation of an explosive device targeting an armored vehicle.
Netanyahu also claimed Hamas is violating the agreement, and Israel will respond accordingly.… pic.twitter.com/rpLLetZKXc
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 24, 2025
“We have previously warned about the remnants of war in this area and others,” the group said, adding that it bears no responsibility for the zone since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said the unexploded ordnance had been planted by the occupation itself.
The group called on mediators to compel Israel to implement the ceasefire fully and to “avoid fabricating pretexts to continue escalation and sabotage the agreement,” reaffirming its commitment to the truce.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said in a post on the US social media platform X that the explosion was likely caused by unexploded war remnants.
He said the blast took place in an area under Israeli control, where Palestinians cannot access.
Palestinian officials say Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire that halted a two-year war on Gaza, which has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
According to the Gaza government media office, at least 411 Palestinians have been killed and 1,112 wounded in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire came into effect.
(PC, Anadolu)
