Ceasefire in Jeopardy as Israel Launches New Strikes on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to launch immediate and “powerful strikes” on Gaza, following reports that Hamas had opened fire on Israeli forces in the south of the enclave. The decision marks a sharp escalation and puts further strain on the fragile US-brokered ceasefire currently in place.

According to witnesses in Gaza City, Israeli aircraft began conducting air raids soon after Netanyahu’s statement, while tank fire and explosions were reported in other parts of the Gaza Strip. The renewed military action came hours after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire by attacking its troops and returning the remains of a hostage in violation of the agreed conditions.

Netanyahu described the return of the remains as a “clear violation” of the ceasefire terms, which require Hamas to hand over all bodies of Israeli hostages without delay. The Israeli military said that its forces came under fire in Rafah on Tuesday and responded accordingly. An official from the army, who requested anonymity due to the absence of a formal announcement, confirmed the exchange of gunfire.

Currently, Israel believes that 13 bodies of hostages are still being held in Gaza. Hamas claimed on Tuesday that it had found another body but later postponed its handover following Israel’s announcement of new strikes. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis reported seeing a white body bag being carried from a tunnel by several men, including masked militants, and then placed in an ambulance. The identity of the remains has not been confirmed.

The slow pace at which Hamas has returned the hostages’ bodies is emerging as a significant obstacle to implementing the next phase of the ceasefire, which is expected to address more sensitive issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the possible deployment of an international force in Gaza, and future governance of the territory. Hamas has claimed that widespread destruction across Gaza has made it difficult to locate the bodies, while Israel accuses the group of deliberately delaying their release for political leverage.

Over the weekend, Egypt sent a team of experts and heavy machinery into Gaza to help search for the remaining hostages’ bodies. Their efforts were ongoing in Khan Younis and Nuseirat as of Tuesday. This is not the first time that remains handed over by Hamas during a truce have sparked confusion or controversy.

Earlier this month, in the first week of the current ceasefire that began on October 10, Israel said one of the bodies transferred by Hamas turned out to belong to a Palestinian, not an Israeli hostage. A similar situation occurred during a previous ceasefire in February, when Hamas said it had returned the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons. Forensic testing later revealed that one of the bodies was that of a Palestinian woman, and Bibas’ actual remains were handed over a day later.