Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has directed the military to launch immediate and “powerful” attacks in Gaza.
The announcement came on Tuesday shortly after Israel reported that Hamas had opened fire on its forces in southern Gaza.
Tensions have been heightened by Israel’s accusation that Hamas breached the fragile ceasefire agreement by returning the additional remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had already been recovered and buried in 2023.
The prime minister’s office described the transfer as a “clear violation” of the agreement, which has been under growing strain over the return of hostage bodies.
Following the development, Netanyahu held a security assessment with defence officials to deliberate on an appropriate response.
Hamas was initially expected to hand over a body it had recovered to Israel on Tuesday but later announced a delay following Israel’s declaration of new strike plans.
Amid the fragile ceasefire, an Israeli military official confirmed that troops retaliated after Hamas fired on its forces in Rafah earlier on Tuesday.
Hamas has yet to return the bodies of 13 hostages, claiming that the remains are difficult to locate due to widespread destruction in Gaza. Israel, however, has accused the group of intentionally stalling the process.
Mr Tzarfati was among those kidnapped during the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and was later killed in captivity.
In a statement, Mr Tzarfati’s family said this was the third time “we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son.” Israeli troops recovered his body in November 2023, and in March 2024, the family received additional remains for burial.
(Independent UK)