Netanyahu Orders ‘Immediate, Powerful Military Strikes’ in Gaza/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Tensions in Gaza reignite as Israel accuses Hamas of ceasefire violations. Netanyahu orders fresh strikes after delayed hostage body returns. Both sides exchange fire, jeopardizing the U.S.-brokered truce.
Gaza Ceasefire Crisis Quick Looks
- Israeli PM Netanyahu orders immediate strikes in Gaza.
- Hamas delays return of hostage’s body in retaliation.
- Ceasefire agreement from October 10 continues to show cracks.
- Previous ceasefire violations resulted in dozens of Palestinian deaths.
- 13 hostage bodies remain unrecovered, with ongoing Egyptian-led searches.
- Hostage return errors and misidentifications heighten tensions.
- Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank raid.
- Over 68,500 Palestinians reported dead since war began in 2023.
Netanyahu Orders ‘Powerful Strikes’ in Gaza Amid Hostage Dispute
Deep Look
The already fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced renewed pressure on Tuesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a directive for “powerful strikes” against Hamas in Gaza. The decision followed recent exchanges of fire and a delayed hostage body return, further straining the U.S.-mediated truce that has teetered since it began on October 10.
The renewed violence was sparked by an incident where Hamas reportedly fired on Israeli troops in southern Gaza. In response, Israeli forces returned fire after taking hits in Rafah, a volatile city near Gaza’s southern border. Adding to the turmoil, Hamas returned remains said to belong to an Israeli hostage, a move Netanyahu condemned as a “clear violation” of the ceasefire terms, which stipulate prompt and complete return of all Israeli hostage remains.
The retaliation from Israel came swiftly. Netanyahu, addressing his security cabinet, emphasized that the return of only partial remains—allegedly those of hostage Ofir Tzarfati—constituted a breach. He claimed this confirmed Hamas was not upholding its side of the deal.
In what appears to be a tit-for-tat reaction, Hamas subsequently announced it would delay the handover of another recovered hostage body. A statement from the militant group cited Israel’s planned military actions as justification for the postponement.
Video footage taken in Khan Younis by an Associated Press reporter showed masked men carrying a white body bag from a tunnel and loading it into an ambulance. While the contents were not officially confirmed, the display fueled speculation and heightened tensions.
So far, 13 Israeli hostage bodies remain unaccounted for in Gaza. Hamas contends that destruction caused by ongoing fighting has hampered their ability to locate the remains. However, Israel accuses Hamas of deliberate obstruction. In response, Egypt has dispatched a specialized search team, along with heavy equipment, to assist in recovering bodies from locations like Khan Younis and Nuseirat.
This week marks the second time since the current ceasefire began that there’s been confusion over hostage remains. Israel recalled a similar incident from earlier in the ceasefire when Hamas handed over remains that later turned out to belong to a Palestinian woman. Another high-profile mistake occurred in February 2025 when Hamas misidentified returned remains as those of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two sons. The true identification was not confirmed until a day later.
Ofir Tzarfati’s remains—confirmed as those returned most recently—bring his grieving family into the spotlight once more. Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, which marked the beginning of the war and resulted in over 1,200 deaths and the capture of 251 hostages.
In a statement, the Tzarfati family expressed anguish, revealing that this was the third time they had been forced to exhume and rebury their son due to new remains being returned.
Since the start of the ceasefire, Israel has received 15 bodies of hostages and returned the remains of 195 Palestinians to Gaza. Additionally, 20 living Israeli hostages were freed, and in exchange, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military activity expanded beyond Gaza on Tuesday, with a deadly raid in the northern West Bank. Three Palestinian militants were killed near Jenin, a city known for militant activity. According to Israeli officials, the men were shot after exiting a cave believed to be used as a hideout. Following the raid, an Israeli airstrike was launched to destroy the cave.
Hamas identified two of the deceased as members of its Qassam Brigades. A third individual was labeled a “comrade,” though further details were not provided.
Israel maintains that its intensified operations in the West Bank have targeted terrorist infrastructure. Still, Palestinian communities and human rights advocates say the toll has been significant for civilians, many of whom have been displaced or killed in crossfire.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which tracks casualties from the conflict, reports that over 68,500 Palestinians have died since the war began. While the ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians, international observers, including U.N. bodies, generally consider the data reliable. Israel disputes the figures but has yet to provide an alternative tally.
As negotiations over the ceasefire’s next phase continue—with issues like Hamas disarmament, international peacekeeper deployment, and future governance of Gaza on the table—each flare-up like Tuesday’s brings those diplomatic ambitions closer to collapse.
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