Netanyahu Orders 'Powerful Strikes' in Gaza As Hamas Delays Hostage Body Handover

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) that he had instructed the army to immediately carry out "powerful strikes" in Gaza. Hamas, in turn, announced it would delay handing over the body of a hostage, adding fresh strain to the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The order for the strikes followed claims by an Israeli official that its forces had come under fire in southern Gaza, and after Hamas delivered body parts on Monday which Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war.

Netanyahu described the return of the body parts as a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement, which obliges Hamas to return all remaining hostages in Gaza as soon as possible.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Hamas would pay a "heavy price for attacking Israeli soldiers in Gaza and for violating the agreement on returning the deceased hostages." According to two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to AP, Israel informed Washington prior to launching the strikes on Tuesday.

An Associated Press reporter in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, reported hearing tank fire from areas under Israeli control. In Gaza City, two health officials confirmed multiple strikes, including some near the Shifa Hospital. Earlier, Israeli troops were reportedly shot at in Rafah and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who also requested anonymity as there had been no formal announcement.

Hamas denied involvement in the Rafah gunfire and reaffirmed its commitment to the truce. "The violent strikes carried out by Israel across the Strip is a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal," said the group, urging mediators and guarantors to pressure Israel to halt its escalation and adhere to the ceasefire terms.

Associated Press reporters and witnesses observed explosions in several areas across Gaza, including Gaza City and Deir al-Balah.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance expressed optimism about the durability of the truce, stating, "That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there."

Fragile Ceasefire Holds Despite Renewed Tensions

The ceasefire, which began on October 10, has largely endured despite earlier flare-ups. On October 19, Israel reported that two of its soldiers were killed by Hamas fire, prompting retaliatory strikes that local health officials said killed over 40 Palestinians. Over the weekend, Israel launched another airstrike targeting alleged Islamic Jihad militants, injuring several people.

Israeli forces also claimed to have conducted a "targeted strike" in central Gaza.

There remain 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered one, but following Israel’s announcement of new strikes, declared it would delay the handover.

The slow pace of hostage body recoveries is complicating the next phase of the ceasefire process, which aims to address deeper issues such as Hamas’s disarmament, the possible deployment of an international security force in Gaza, and the question of who will administer the territory.

Hamas has said it is struggling to locate remains amid Gaza’s extensive destruction, while Israel accuses the group of deliberately stalling the process.

Egypt has dispatched a team of experts and heavy equipment to aid in recovering the remaining hostages’ bodies. Work was ongoing on Tuesday in Khan Younis and Nuseirat.

An Arab official involved in mediating the ceasefire said talks were continuing with both sides to prevent its collapse. “Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach,” the official said, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

The official cited issues such as delays in body transfers, failure to open the Rafah crossing with Egypt, slow medical evacuations, limited aid deliveries, and “minor skirmishes” along the dividing line between Israeli troops and the rest of Gaza.

(with inputs from Associated Press)