Tel Aviv Fragile Limits Testing truce In its fifth day, Israel's army said Thursday that forces opened fire in the south Gaza strip on masked, armed suspects who posed a threat to their safety. The IDF issued a statement in which it recorded incidents east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah and in the area of ​​the Kerem Shalom border crossing, through which trucks were delivering more food, water and medical supplies after the ceasefire took effect.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had killed one Islamic Jihad militant and that while Israel was “determined to uphold the terms of the (ceasefire) agreement to return the hostages,” it was also “prepared for any scenario and will continue to take action.” necessary actions to prevent any immediate threat to IDF soldiers.”

There was no immediate response to the incident from Hamas leaders in Gaza.

Hours before the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the operation in southern Gaza, the newly sworn-in U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio Called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told the Israeli leader that “the United States' unwavering support for Israel is a priority for President Trump.” call reading.

Rubio made several calls to foreign ministers around the world, but Netanyahu was the first head of state he spoke with, according to the State Department.The two men also discussed the release of the remaining 94 Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, including seven Israeli-Americans. are, and to address threats from Iran, though the State Department offered no specifics.

Gaza's Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, has not reported any new deaths since the cease-fire, but the official toll continues to rise as rescue and recovery groups and ordinary citizens find more bodies and, in some cases, bones. piles: the ruins of the destroyed Palestinian enclave.

The ministry said its data as of Thursday showed that more than 47,200 people had been killed in Hamas's war on terror against Israel since October 7, 2023. as a result of which the militants killed about 1200 people and kidnapped 251. The remains of more than 160 people have been found in Gaza since Sunday's cease-fire, the ministry said.

Thousands more bodies are believed to be still under the collapsed buildings of the enclave, which was home to about 2.3 million people before the war.The press office of the Hamas-led administration in Gaza said on Thursday that some 14,000 people remain missing.

Faster recovery efforts, as well as aid distribution, have been hampered by the lack of heavy equipment operating in the zone and its dilapidated infrastructure, according to rescuers and aid agencies.

As of Wednesday, the U.N. said 808 truckloads of humanitarian aid, including food, fuel and medical supplies, had entered the zone after the cease-fire took effect. allows 600 trucks to enter the area per day.

Hamas announced that it would release four more hostages, Israeli women, on Sunday three prisoners were released in front of about 90 Palestinian prisoners who were released from the occupied Israeli prison in the Jordan River. Israel is expected to release another 200 Palestinians in the next prisoner exchange this weekend.

While A: a “large-scale” military attack A follow-up to the one launched by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank earlier this week continued overnight, centered in and around the Jenin refugee camp in the northern Palestinian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces says it has killed two men linked to the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad group during Operation Iron Wall, claiming the men were shot and killed during a bus attack in the West Bank two weeks ago. three Israelis.

The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank, which like Gaza is not controlled by Hamas, said on Wednesday that 10 Palestinians were killed in a new IDF operation.

The Iron Wall has been the IDF's main show of force in Jenin, an area in the West Bank that Israel has long considered a stronghold of Iranian-backed militant groups. :

One of President Trump's many initial steps as he began his second term this week was to roll back Biden-era sanctions on Israeli settlers deemed a security threat to the West Bank.

Domestically, for Prime Minister Netanyahu, the West Bank offensive may be aimed at least in part at appeasing a segment of his support base, including far-right members of his own cabinet — who are upset about the cease-fire deal with Hamas.

Israel's former national security minister, right-wing nationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, resigned in protest at the deal, saying it gave way to terrorism.

If the country's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right member of the government, resigns, Netanyahu's fragile coalition government will collapse.

Ram's Innocence

Rami Inocencio is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in London covering Europe and the Middle East. He joined the network in 2019 as CBS News' Asia correspondent based in Beijing, reporting on the Asia-Pacific region. a decade of experience working and traveling between Asia and the United States.