Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to launch heavy strikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of breaching the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
In a statement released after security consultations on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said he instructed the armed forces to “immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” without giving further details.
Shortly after the announcement, Hamas declared it would delay the scheduled handover of another hostage’s remains, citing what it called Israel’s “violations” of the truce terms. The group warned that any renewed Israeli aggression would disrupt ongoing efforts to locate and recover hostage bodies.
“We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation’s violations,” Hamas’s armed wing said, adding that further escalation would hinder recovery operations.
Tensions spiked after Hamas on Monday delivered what it claimed was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the October 10 ceasefire. However, Israeli forensic analysis revealed that the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, a hostage whose body had already been recovered from Gaza nearly two years ago.
Netanyahu’s office condemned the move as a “clear violation of the agreement,” accusing Hamas of deceit.
Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian further alleged that Hamas “dug a hole in the ground, placed the partial remains of Ofir inside, covered it back up, and handed it over to the Red Cross,” describing the act as staged manipulation.
“In terms of consequences for Hamas, nothing is off the table right now,” she added, noting that all decisions were being coordinated with US President Donald Trump and his administration.
Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government to take strong action, saying Hamas’s actions showed bad faith.
“In light of Hamas’s severe breach of the agreement, the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this,” the group said. “It must act decisively to address these violations and ensure accountability.”