On Tuesday, Israel initiated airstrikes on Gaza following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that Hamas had breached a ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu subsequently ordered the military to conduct “powerful” attacks.
While a statement from Netanyahu’s office did not elaborate on the reasons for the strikes, an Israeli military official indicated that Hamas had violated the truce by launching an attack on Israeli forces in a designated area.
Netanyahu further claimed that Hamas had contravened the agreement by returning the incorrect remains during a hostage repatriation process. Israel identified the remains as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body was recovered nearly two years ago, labeling the handover a “clear violation” of the US-brokered deal.
Later on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a return to the ceasefire.
According to health authorities in Gaza, the strikes on Tuesday resulted in at least 81 fatalities, while the French news agency AFP reported a toll of 101, citing Gaza’s civil defense agency.
Witnesses reported ongoing attacks by Israeli aircraft across the strip into early Wednesday.
The IDF stated that it targeted “over 30 terrorists holding command positions within the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.”
These latest strikes followed a statement from Netanyahu’s office indicating that he had ordered immediate “powerful attacks.” This statement came after the prime minister convened discussions with security officials regarding Israel’s response to perceived “violations” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The US-backed ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, aimed to halt two years of open conflict that escalated following Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Both parties have accused one another of breaching the agreement.
On Tuesday, as Israel resumed its attacks on the Palestinian enclave, US Vice President JD Vance remarked that the ceasefire was still holding despite “skirmishes here and there.”
Earlier that day, Israeli media reported an exchange of fire in southern Gaza.
Israel expressed outrage upon learning that the human remains received from Hamas on Monday did not belong to a new hostage taken by militants on October 7, 2023, but rather to another hostage whose body had already been recovered by Israeli forces two years prior.
Netanyahu’s office characterized this incident as a “clear violation of the agreement.”
The ceasefire agreement mandates that Hamas return the human remains of all hostages in its custody as soon as possible.
Hamas contends that the challenge lies in the fact that the bodies of hostages are buried under significant rubble from two years of conflict, complicating their recovery. Israel, however, accuses the militants of stalling.
The group Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government to take decisive action, stating: “The Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations.”
Hamas announced that it had recovered another hostage’s body on Tuesday but postponed the handover after Israel declared its intent to strike Gaza. The group later reported that two additional hostages had also been found.
