Hamas denies its connection to the Rafah attack.. and the United States reveals its position on the escalation.

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has denied its connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

The movement stated in a statement that the occupation's shelling of areas in the Gaza Strip is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed under the auspices of U.S. President Donald Trump.

It also called on the guarantor mediators to act immediately to pressure the occupation and curb its escalation against civilians and to stop its violations of the agreement, noting that the shelling of the Gaza Strip is an extension of a series of breaches that confirm the occupation's insistence on violating the terms of the agreement and attempting to undermine it.

For his part, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the ceasefire in Gaza remains intact despite the occupation targeting the area with intensive airstrikes in response to an alleged attack on Israeli soldiers in the region.

Reuters reported Vance saying, "Hamas or another entity inside Gaza attacked an Israeli soldier, we expect the Israelis to respond, but I believe the peace announced by the president will hold nonetheless."

For its part, Israel Hayom quoted an American source as saying that any sharp Israeli response to Hamas could lead to the outbreak of war, emphasizing Washington's opposition to any significant change in the yellow line and any new ground entry of the Israeli army into Gaza.

An American official also told Axios that Washington urged Israel not to take radical actions that could lead to the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.

In this context, an American official told Reuters that the peace plan in Gaza will face challenges, and that the U.S. government is making strenuous efforts to make progress, noting that the transition to lasting peace in Gaza is a difficult task after two years of conflict.

The official added that the United States "will not feel satisfied until stability is established in Gaza, a transition to civilian rule is achieved, and progress towards peace is made," indicating that the ceasefire agreement remains intact in Gaza, and that Washington continues to work to implement President Donald Trump's peace plan.

He pointed out that identifying the locations of the bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza is a difficult task, represents a challenge, and requires time.