Intensive shelling on Rafah and Khan Younis, and Israel is firm on the condition to move to the second phase.

The Israeli military operations continue in the southern Gaza Strip, where the occupation forces launched a series of airstrikes and demolition operations early Sunday morning within the areas they control, particularly around Rafah and Khan Younis.

Al Jazeera reporters stated that the occupation carried out 6 airstrikes east of Rafah, coinciding with demolition operations and large explosions east of Khan Younis within what is known as the "yellow line," the area that the Israeli army has imposed control over since the recent incursion.

The airstrikes also targeted the town of Bani Suheila east of Khan Younis within the same area, amid intense artillery shelling.

Local sources reported that Israeli vehicles stationed near the Morag axis northeast of Rafah opened heavy fire as part of the combing operations, while warships shelled the western coast of the city.

In the central Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported an airstrike on an area east of the Al-Bureij camp, outside the areas controlled by the occupation according to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli fighter jets also targeted areas east of Gaza City, while heavy gunfire was witnessed in Jabalia to the north from helicopter gunships.

Channel 12 reported from a security source that the army expects to complete the combing of the yellow line area in Gaza, which is under its control, in the coming weeks.

The channel added that Israeli estimates indicate that Hamas is still capable of manufacturing explosive devices and is seeking to restore its military capabilities and smuggle weapons via drones.

The channel also reported that Israel informed mediators that the number of remaining Hamas militants east of Rafah is estimated at about 50 fighters, and they have the option to surrender.

According to Channel 12, those who surrender "will be detained in Israel for a short period and then released" on the condition of pledging not to carry weapons or engage in any military activity.

Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement announced on October 10, which has led to the deaths of hundreds of martyrs and injuries over the past weeks, alongside the ongoing restrictions on the entry of food and medicine into the besieged strip.

Sources say that the agreement was supposed to stop the war, which international organizations described as "genocide," which has resulted since October 2023 in more than 70,000 martyrs and 170,000 injuries, most of whom are children and women.

In this context, the Israeli website "Walla" reported that Israeli political and security officials informed the Americans in closed meetings that Tel Aviv will not consider moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement before recovering all the bodies of the prisoners in the besieged strip.

The site added that security sources indicated that Israel continues to pressure Hamas through the United States and mediators to return the bodies of the last detainees.

Sources mentioned that Israel's hands are tied, indicating that there is no possibility that Washington will allow fighting to resume at this stage to pressure Hamas to return the bodies.

The sources stated that the Americans want to move to the second phase in Gaza, noting that any intense fighting could hinder that.

The sources confirmed that the political leadership has not studied the scenarios prepared by the army in the event that Hamas does not return the remaining bodies.

The sources expected that Hamas would return the remaining bodies under what they called political pressure.