Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to launch “powerful strikes” on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
The directive came shortly after Hamas announced it would delay handing over the remains of another Israeli hostage, citing what it described as Israel’s repeated “truce violations.”
“Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a statement, without providing details.
Hamas had been scheduled to return the body of another hostage on Tuesday but said it would postpone the process “due to the occupation’s violations.” The group warned that any Israeli escalation would “hinder the search and recovery” of remaining bodies.
The decision follows renewed tensions after Hamas on Monday handed over what it claimed was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies agreed under the truce. Israeli forensic experts later determined the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, a hostage whose body had already been recovered from Gaza two years ago. Netanyahu’s office condemned the move as a “clear violation of the agreement.”
Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian accused Hamas of fabricating the handover, claiming the group “dug a hole, placed the partial remains of Ofir inside, and handed it to the Red Cross.” She added that Israel’s next steps were being coordinated with U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the government to respond decisively, calling Hamas’s actions a “severe breach” of the truce and insisting the group “knows the location of the remaining hostages.”
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem denied the accusations, saying Israel’s bombardments had made locating bodies difficult. “The movement is determined to hand over the bodies as soon as they are found,” he told AFP.
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 94 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, with both sides trading blame for the escalating tensions.
The latest developments have raised fears of a renewed war. “Now they accuse Hamas of stalling, and that is a pretext for renewed escalation,” said Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed, a 60-year-old resident of Gaza. “We want to rest. I believe the war will come back.”
Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir echoed calls for tougher action, writing on X that “it is time to break [Hamas’s] legs once and for all.”
Hamas abducted 251 people during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has since killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers credible.
Tzarfati’s case has drawn particular attention. The 27-year-old was kidnapped and killed at the Nova music festival during the October 7 attack. His remains have now been returned to Israel three times — in December 2023, March 2024, and again this week.
“This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son,” his family said in a statement. “The circle supposedly closed back in December 2023, but it never truly closes.”
