Israeli fighter jets launched airstrikes on Gaza City Tuesday evening after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and ordered the military to carry out “powerful attacks.”
According to local health authorities, at least eight people were killed, including three in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood and five others in a car struck in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes, which mark the latest escalation since a fragile ceasefire took effect three weeks ago.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu’s office said he had instructed the army to begin immediate strikes but provided no further details. An Israeli military official later stated that Hamas violated the truce by attacking Israeli forces in an area under Israeli control inside the enclave.
“This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.
Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and several other countries, denied responsibility for any attacks in Rafah and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement, in effect since October 10, ended two years of intense conflict that began after Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations since the truce began.
Tensions Over Hostage Returns
Following Netanyahu’s new order, Hamas announced it would delay the handover of another hostage’s body, accusing Israel of breaching the truce.
Earlier, the group had planned to transfer the body under international pressure after Israel claimed Hamas had returned only partial remains of another hostage the day before.
“We are postponing today’s handover due to the occupier’s violations,” Hamas’s armed wing said, warning that any Israeli escalation would hinder efforts to locate and recover the remaining bodies.
Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas freed all living hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, while Israel withdrew its troops and halted major operations. Hamas also agreed to return the remains of all deceased hostages, but said the process requires time due to the extensive devastation in Gaza.
Israel, on the other hand, insists Hamas knows the locations of most of the hostage remains.
Background of the Conflict
The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a large-scale assault on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage. Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has since killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
A 20-point peace plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump also calls for the disarmament of Hamas, a condition repeatedly demanded by Israel but rejected by the Palestinian group.
