Fragile ceasefire challenged: Israel retaliates in Gaza, Hamas denies involvement

The fragile US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came under its most serious strain yet following a wave of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday. The strikes were launched in response to an attack on Israeli troops in the south of the territory, and to Hamas’s failure to return the bodies of hostages still held in the Strip.

The attacks on Israeli positions reportedly occurred in southern Gaza’s Rafah region, where troops came under fire from militants. Israeli forces returned fire, and Palestinian media reported Israeli artillery shelling in the Rafah area. Hamas denied any involvement in the shooting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza after security consultations. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas had crossed a “bright red line” and would pay a heavy price for violating the agreement on hostage-return. The Israeli military said it had notified the United States prior to commencing the strikes.

The military action triggered casualties across the territory. Health officials reported at least seven Palestinians killed in separate strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, while other sources claimed the death toll reached at least nine. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and hospital officials indicated that at least 33 Palestinians were killed when homes, schools, and residential blocks were hit in Gaza City, Beit Lahia, al-Bureij, Nuseirat, and Khan Younis. Among those killed in Khan Younis were two children when a civilian vehicle was struck.

Israel listed two reasons for its retaliatory strikes. First, it said troops stationed east of the so-called Yellow Line — the boundary marking Israeli-controlled territory inside Gaza under the ceasefire deal — were fired upon, constituting a direct violation of the truce agreement. Second, Israel accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire by returning only partial human remains of a hostage, rather than abiding by the full terms of the agreement, which required the immediate return of all remaining hostages.

Hamas denied responsibility for the Rafa incident and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. It condemned the Israeli strikes as a clear violation of the ceasefire deal and urged mediators to press Israel to halt its attacks. Following the strikes, Hamas’s military wing announced it would postpone the handover of another hostage body that it had recovered earlier that day, blaming Israel’s actions for disrupting the process.

A major flashpoint in the negotiations has been the return of partial remains of hostages. The remains handed over by Hamas on Monday were identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, who had been kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and was killed in captivity. His remains were initially retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. His family was forced to open his grave and re-bury him for the third time after the latest handover. Israeli officials accused Hamas of staging the recovery of the remains for cameras, releasing drone footage which showed Hamas operatives burying and then exhuming a body bag in eastern Gaza City before officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived. The ICRC confirmed that its team was present in good faith, but said they were not aware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, and described the staging as unacceptable given the number of families awaiting news of their loved ones.

The slow pace of returning hostage bodies is testing the next phases of the ceasefire, which include the disarmament of Hamas and the question of who will govern Gaza. Hamas says it is struggling to locate the bodies amid widespread destruction and has lost contact with some units. Israel insists the group is deliberately delaying the handover. Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance offered reassurance, saying he believed the ceasefire would hold despite the recent violence, and described the clashes as “little skirmishes” expected to fade quickly.

However, the incident has emboldened far-right members of the Israeli government, such as Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who are demanding an end to what they describe as hesitation and urging Netanyahu to resume a full-scale war to destroy Hamas completely.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said early this morning that the ceasefire in Gaza was not at risk despite the Israeli strikes. "As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One flying from Japan to South Korea. "So the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back. Nothing is going to jeopardize the ceasefire. You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”

 

Middle East