Israeli media reported that Tel Aviv decided to close the Rafah crossing, preventing sick and injured Gaza residents from exiting through it for medical treatment.

According to the Walla news website, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued instructions on Tuesday to keep the Rafah crossing closed to medical supplies from the Gaza Strip to Jordan and Egypt, in an effort to pressure Hamas.

In turn, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Israel closed the Rafah crossing, indicating that Hamas was preparing to launch a large-scale attack against Israel.

The Broadcasting Authority stated that "the airstrike was the beginning of a warning to Hamas, and that the Israeli army is targeting senior Hamas leaders and its infrastructure." It noted that education in the Gaza Strip has been canceled and the train line to Sderot has been suspended.

Earlier, an Israeli military spokesman announced that "based on directives from the political echelon, IDF and Shin Bet forces are launching a large-scale attack on terrorist targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip."

For its part, Hamas accused Netanyahu of reneging on the ceasefire agreement and reneging on all of his commitments, calling on "the sons of the Arab and Islamic nations and the free people of the world to demonstrate in rejection of the resumption of war."