PM orders Israeli army to carry out Gaza Strip strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the army to “launch strong strikes” in the Gaza Strip after accusing militant group Hamas of violating a ceasefire agreement in Palestinian territory.
In the statement made by Netanyahu’s office, the reason for the planned attacks was not specified.
However, an Israeli military official said Hamas violated the ceasefire by attacking Israeli forces in an Israeli-controlled area.
“This is another blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.
Netanyahu had previously accused Hamas of violating the agreement by handing over the wrong remains during the process of returning the hostages’ bodies to Israel.
Hamas initially responded by saying it would hand over the body of a missing hostage found in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip to Israel on Tuesday.
However, Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, later said it would postpone the planned handover, citing Israel’s violation of the ceasefire.
Netanyahu’s order followed rising tensions after Israel reported firing on Hamas forces in the south of the region and the return to Hamas of a set of remains that Israel said belonged to a hostage captured earlier in the war.
Netanyahu called the return a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return all remains of Israeli hostages as soon as possible.
According to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because no official statement had yet been made, Israeli troops were fired upon in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and the fire was returned.
There are still bodies of 13 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas also said on the Telegram messaging app that Israel’s escalation of attacks would disrupt search and rescue operations and delay the return of Israeli soldiers’ bodies.
Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the army to immediately launch strong attacks on the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 28, 2025
The slow return of hostages’ bodies poses a challenge to the implementation of the next phases of the ceasefire, which will address thornier issues such as disarmament of Hamas, deployment of international security forces in the Gaza Strip and deciding who will govern the region.
Hamas said it was trying to locate the bodies amid massive destruction in the region, while Israel accused the militant group of deliberately delaying their return.
Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining hostages.
This work continued in Khan Yunus and Nuseyrat on Tuesday.
via Reuters
