The Israeli military has carried out multiple strikes in northern and southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people. These attacks followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directive for the military to resume its assault on the war-ravaged enclave. The Israeli government claims that Hamas violated a US-brokered ceasefire, which is now facing its most significant challenge.
According to hospital sources cited by Al Jazeera, four Palestinians were killed in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, while five others were killed in Khan Younis. At least 15 individuals were injured across the territory. Earlier, Netanyahu’s office stated that he had ordered the military to “immediately carry out powerful strikes” after “security consultations.”
In Gaza City, Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud reported that a missile struck near al-Shifa Hospital, with significant aerial activity and drones hovering over the area. Witnesses described the strike as massive, causing chaos and panic among patients and medical staff inside the hospital.
US Vice President JD Vance stated that the ceasefire remains intact despite the Israeli strikes in Gaza, acknowledging that minor skirmishes may occur. He noted that Hamas or another group had attacked an Israeli soldier and expected a response from Israel. However, he expressed confidence that the president’s peace efforts would hold despite these incidents.
Israel reportedly informed the United States before launching its latest deadly strikes in Gaza, according to The Associated Press, citing two unnamed US officials. Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that Hamas targeted Israeli troops, vowing that the group would face severe consequences for alleged attacks on soldiers and for allegedly violating the agreement to return the bodies of hostages.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of a “clear violation” of the ceasefire by returning the remains of a previously recovered captive. Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, denied these accusations, stating that the group faced significant challenges in recovering the bodies of Israeli captives. He emphasized that any delays were due to the occupation’s responsibility and that Hamas had made every effort to recover the remains.
Hamas also rejected any connection to what Israel describes as a shooting attack in Rafah, which it used as justification for its air strikes. A Hamas statement on Telegram condemned the continued bombing as a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire agreement signed under the auspices of former US President Donald Trump. The statement criticized the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing and suggested that Israel was attempting to sabotage the agreement.
Reports indicated gunfire near the Egyptian border in Rafah, with an exchange of fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters. Artillery shelling and explosions were also reported in Rafah and eastern Khan Younis. One Israeli soldier was injured during the clashes.
Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and several Arab and Muslim nations have accused Israel of multiple violations of the agreement over the past three weeks. Dozens have been killed in Gaza, and Israel continues to severely restrict aid deliveries to those in need.
Hamas’s military wing announced that it would delay the handover of an Israeli captive’s body due to alleged Israeli violations. The Qassam Brigades warned that any Israeli escalation would hinder search and retrieval operations, leading to further delays in recovering the bodies of captives.
The latest developments have intensified tensions surrounding the already fragile ceasefire, raising fears of a potential return to full-scale conflict in Gaza. Netanyahu clarified that the recently handed-over remains were not from the 13 captives still unaccounted for but belonged to a captive whose body had already been retrieved by Israeli forces nearly two years ago.
An anonymous US official told Al Jazeera that locating the bodies of Israeli captives was a complex and time-consuming process. The Civil-Military Co-operation Centre, a US-led initiative, played a key role in facilitating the entry of Egyptian technical teams into Gaza to assist in retrieving the remains.
Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet has called for harsh measures, including re-arresting Palestinians released in previous exchanges and halting humanitarian aid to Gaza. Other options include expanding Israeli control over the enclave or conducting air strikes targeting Hamas leaders, according to Israeli media.
Analysts suggest that Netanyahu has been engaging in provocative actions since the start of the ceasefire, aiming to strain the agreement. Muhammad Shehada, an analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations, stated that Netanyahu has sought to find ways to resume hostilities in Gaza. He pointed to Israel’s refusal to open the Rafah border crossing and its restrictions on aid as examples of this strategy.
However, Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg believes the dispute is unlikely to derail the entire ceasefire agreement, given the strong US and regional commitment to ending the two-year conflict. He dismissed concerns about the ceasefire being abandoned over a single incident.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim noted that the US has significant influence over events in Gaza through the civil coordination center in southern Israel. She suggested that Israel is seeking justifications for its actions, aiming to maintain control over borders and conduct attacks as it sees fit under the guise of a ceasefire.
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