Following intense airstrikes across the Gaza Strip that left at least 45 Palestinians dead, Israel has announced the reinstatement of a ceasefire. According to the Times of Israel, Israeli forces launched heavy attacks throughout Sunday (October 19) after claiming that two soldiers were killed and three seriously wounded in a Hamas assault near Rafah. Hamas, however, denied any involvement in the incident. Despite that, Israeli forces continued bombings in several parts of Gaza. Later in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that the ceasefire was being re-enforced based on “political-level instructions” following a series of operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, Gaza’s media office reported that since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israeli forces have violated it at least 80 times, killing 97 Palestinians and injuring over 230. Gaza’s Health Ministry states that since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed 68,159 Palestinians and injured 170,203 others.