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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to immediately carry out “powerful” attacks in Gaza.
Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire at Israeli forces in southern Gaza.
Tensions were already high after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the fragile ceasefire agreement by handing back the additional remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had already been recovered and buried in 2023.
The prime minister’s office said the transfer was a “clear violation” of the agreement, increasingly under strain over the return of hostage bodies.
Netanyahu subsequently held a security assessment with defence officials to discuss a response.
Hamas was expected to hand over a body it had recovered to Israel on Tuesday but has announced it would delay the return after Israel announced plans to strike.
Amid a delicate ceasefire, an Israeli military official said troops retaliated after Hamas fired on its forces in Rafah earlier on Tuesday.
Hamas is still yet to return the bodies of 13 hostages, which it said were difficult to locate among the destruction in Gaza. Israel has accused the group of deliberately delaying the handover.
Mr Tzarfati was kidnapped in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and killed in captivity.
In a statement, Mr Tzarfati’s family said this was the third time “we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son.” Israeli troops recovered his body in November 2023, and in March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial.
More to follow…