The decision comes shortly after IDF troops came under attack in the southern Gaza Strip, and amid Israeli anger after further Hamas violations involving the return of hostagesโ bodies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the army to immediately carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza, a move that risks shattering the fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire at Israeli forces in southern Gaza.
The announcement came amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas. Israeli officials said their forces were attacked in southern Gaza shortly after Hamas handed over remains that Israel identified as belonging to a hostage killed earlier in the conflict. Netanyahu denounced the act as a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which obligates Hamas to return the bodies of all Israeli hostages promptly.
Carry out immediate, powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip
“At the conclusion of the security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out immediate, powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” the office of the Prime Minister said in a short statement.
Tensions escalated further after Hamas handed over remains that Israel said belonged to a person already identified as a deceased hostage earlier in the war.
In another sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there hasn’t been an official announcement yet.
The ceasefire that began on October 10 has largely held despite at least two previous flareups in violence.
On October 19, Israel said two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel responded with a series of strikes that killed over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials. And over the weekend, Israel carried out an airstrike against what it said were Islamic Jihad militants planning an attack, wounding several people.
Will delay handover of a hostage body: Hamas
Meanwhile, Hamas responded by saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage, putting new pressure on the tenuous US-brokered ceasefire.
There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage, but after Israeli announced the plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said it in a statement it would delay the handover.
The slow return of hostages’ bodies is posing a challenge to implementing the next stages of the ceasefire, which will address even knottier issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory.
During a previous ceasefire in February 2025, Hamas said it handed over the bodies of three hostages, Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but testing showed that one of the bodies returned was identified as a Palestinian woman. Shiri Bibas’ body was returned a day later.
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(With AP inputs)
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