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At least 19 people have died after this Israel Prime Minister ordered his army To immediately perform “powerful” attacks Gaza,
benjamin netanyahu announced immediately after making the claim Hamas Had fired on Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Hamas has denied any involvement.
Israeli forces reportedly launched attacks in various areas of Gaza, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis, and attacked a courtyard of Shifa Hospital, the largest operational hospital in northern Gaza, leaving dozens injured.
the tension was already too high Israel accused Hamas of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement by handing over additional remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, which had already been recovered and buried in 2023.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the transfer was a “clear violation” of the agreement, increasing tensions over the return of hostage bodies.
Mr Netanyahu later held a security assessment with defense officials to discuss the response.
Hamas was expected to hand over bodies recovered from a tunnel in Gaza on Tuesday, but announced it would delay the return after Israel revealed attack plans. Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced the moratorium, citing Israel’s violations of the ceasefire.
Amid the fragile ceasefire, an Israeli military official said troops had retaliated after Hamas fired on Israeli forces in Rafah on Tuesday.
He said the attack in the Israeli-controlled southern city of Rafah was “another blatant violation of the ceasefire”.
Hamas has not yet returned the bodies of the 13 hostages, saying it is difficult to locate them amid the destruction in Gaza. Israel has accused the group of deliberately delaying the handover.
Tzarfati was kidnapped in a Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and murdered in captivity.
In a statement, his family said it was the third time they were “forced to open Ophir’s grave and rebury our son”. Israeli soldiers recovered his body in November 2023, and his family found additional remains for burial in March 2024.
This is the second time that handing over the remains has proven problematic, after Hamas returned the body of an unidentified Palestinian in the first week of the ceasefire.
Hamas expanded the search for the hostages’ bodies on Sunday after Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help locate the hostages.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he would be watching “very closely” the return of dead hostages by Hamas in the coming days.