Netanyahu directs "powerful" IDF attacks post-Rafah firefight where Hamas wounded soldiers; follows duplicate hostage remains return labeled truce violation.
Hamas delays body handover citing Israeli breaches; Gaza reports 125 violations, 94 deaths since Oct 10; U.S. urges restraint to avoid collapse.
Domestic calls for Hamas destruction; stalled phases on disarmament, governance; Egypt aids searches amid 13 remaining hostage bodies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to carry out "immediate, powerful strikes" in the Gaza Strip, escalating tensions in a fragile US brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025. The directive followed an emergency security consultation and came hours after Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles and sniper rounds at Israeli forces in Rafah, southern Gaza, prompting return fire that wounded several soldiers.
According to ABC News, Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of a "clear violation" of the truce, citing the group's return overnight of remains identified as those of Ofir Tzarfatiza hostage whose body Israeli troops recovered from Gaza in late 2023—rather than new ones from the 13 still unaccounted for in the enclave. Under the agreement, Hamas is required to return all Israeli hostage remains as soon as possible, a process that has stalled amid disputes over verification and sequencing. In response, Hamas's armed wing announced it was postponing a scheduled handover of another hostage's body, blaming Israeli "violations."
The strikes, as per the Guardian, described as "intense" by Netanyahu's office, could target Hamas infrastructure and come after Israeli airstrikes on October 19 that Gaza officials said killed 26 Palestinians in retaliation for Hamas fire that killed two Israeli soldiers. Gaza's Government Media Office reported 125 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since October 10, including 94 Palestinian deaths. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urged restraint, viewing the hostage remains issue as not a "material breach" and pressing both sides to avoid collapse, though Netanyahu reportedly sought President Trump's green light before the Rafah incident shifted priorities
