Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to launch intense strikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
“Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” a statement from his office said.
Minutes after the announcement, Hamas said it would delay handing over the remains of another Israeli hostage, citing what it called Israel’s repeated truce violations.
“We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation’s violations,” Hamas’s armed wing said, warning that further escalation could hinder ongoing recovery efforts for missing bodies.
The militant group had agreed to return 28 hostage bodies under the ceasefire deal, which began on October 10. However, Israeli authorities said Hamas returned only partial remains of a hostage already repatriated nearly two years ago.
Netanyahu’s office condemned the move as a “clear violation of the agreement”, identifying the remains as those of Ofir Tzarfati, who was abducted and killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
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A government spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, told reporters that Israel was coordinating its next steps with US President Donald Trump’s administration.
“In terms of consequences for Hamas, nothing is off the table right now,” she said.
She also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of Tzarfati’s remains, claiming the group buried partial remains and handed them to the Red Cross under false pretenses.
Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the government to respond firmly.
“In light of Hamas’s severe breach of the agreement, the Israeli government cannot ignore this and must act decisively,” the group said.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem denied that the group was withholding information, insisting that ongoing Israeli bombardments had destroyed many sites where bodies could have been located.
“The movement is determined to hand over the bodies of Israeli captives as soon as they are found,” Qassem told AFP.
While Hamas has already returned 20 living hostages as part of the truce, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 94 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began.
On the ground, residents in Gaza expressed growing fear that the fragile calm could collapse.
“They accuse Hamas of stalling, and that’s a pretext for renewed war,” said 60-year-old Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed. “We want to rest, but I believe the war will come back.”
Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, echoed calls for a stronger response, writing on X:
“It is time to break Hamas’s legs once and for all.”
According to Israeli figures, Hamas’s October 7 attack left 1,221 people dead, mostly civilians, while Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed at least 68,531 people, based on Hamas-run health ministry figures that the UN considers reliable.
Tzarfati’s family confirmed this was the third time they had been asked to reopen his grave, following the recovery of his body in December 2023 and additional remains in March 2024.
“This is the third time we’ve been forced to rebury our son,” the family said. “The circle never truly closes.”
