Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday evening, stating these actions were a response to alleged violations of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement by Hamas. Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, accused Hamas of attacking Israeli soldiers and breaching terms related to the return of deceased hostages' bodies. Hamas denied involvement in the attack on soldiers and asserted its commitment to the ceasefire, while also condemning the Israeli strikes. First responders in Gaza reported at least nine Palestinian fatalities from the strikes. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also issued a statement regarding a previously staged recovery of human remains, condemning it as "fake."
Israeli Actions and Accusations
Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Hamas had attacked Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Tuesday and violated the agreement concerning the return of deceased hostages' bodies. He warned that Hamas would "pay many times over" for these actions, describing the alleged attack as crossing "a bright red line." Prime Minister Netanyahu's office confirmed that he had ordered "forceful strikes" by the military, though it did not specify reasons in its initial statement. An Israeli military official indicated the attack on soldiers occurred "east of the Yellow Line," a demarcation of Israeli-controlled territory within Gaza under the ceasefire. Israeli media reported troops in Rafah came under anti-tank missile and sniper fire, while Palestinian media reported Israeli artillery shelling in the same area.
Following the Israeli military's airstrikes, witnesses reported explosions in various parts of Gaza, including Gaza City and Khan Younis. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported at least four fatalities, including three women, from a strike on a home in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood. Strikes were also reported to have hit a courtyard of al-Shifa hospital. Another five individuals, including two children and a woman, were reported killed when a vehicle was struck on al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, according to the Civil Defence spokesman.
Hamas's Response and Counter-Accusations
Hamas issued a statement denying that its fighters had attacked Israeli troops, asserting it had "no connection" to the shooting incident in Rafah and confirming its commitment to the ceasefire. The group condemned the Israeli strikes, describing them as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement" carried out by the "fascist occupation [Israeli] army." Hamas's military wing subsequently announced it would postpone the return of a hostage's body it had recovered on Tuesday, citing what it termed Israeli "violations."
US Stance
US Vice-President JD Vance commented on the situation, stating he believed "the ceasefire is holding," despite "little skirmishes here and there." He added, "We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an [Israeli] soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president's peace is going to hold despite that."
Dispute Over Hostage Remains
Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu had pledged unspecified "steps" against Hamas after the group handed over human remains on Monday night that were identified as not belonging to one of the 13 deceased hostages still in Gaza. Netanyahu's office stated that forensic tests confirmed the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, an Israeli hostage whose body was recovered by Israeli forces in late 2023, describing this as a "clear violation" of the ceasefire.
The Israeli military released drone footage that it claimed showed Hamas operatives "removing body remains from a structure that had been prepared in advance and burying them nearby" in eastern Gaza City on Monday. The military further alleged that operatives then "summoned representatives of the Red Cross and staged a false display of discovering a deceased hostage's body."
Hamas rejected these as "baseless allegations" and accused Israel of "seeking to fabricate false pretexts in preparation for taking new aggressive steps."
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) later released a statement condemning what it called the "fake recovery." The ICRC confirmed its team attended the scene "at the request of Hamas" and "in good faith," but stated they "were not aware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, as seen in the footage." The ICRC clarified its role does not typically include unearthing bodies and that their team "only observed what appeared to be the recovery of remains without prior knowledge of the circumstances leading up to it." The organization concluded, "It is unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged, when so much depends on this agreement being upheld and when so many families are still anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones."