Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered immediate “forceful strikes” in the Gaza Strip after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire.
The order follows heightened tensions after Israel reported that Hamas fired on its forces in southern Gaza and after Israel claimed that Hamas returned a set of remains that belonged to a hostage already recovered.
Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu has directed the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 28, 2025
Minutes after Netanyahu ordered the strikes, Hamas announced that it would postpone the handover of another hostage body that was scheduled for Tuesday evening.
“We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation’s violations,” the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement. It added that any Israeli “escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies”.
On Monday, Hamas had handed over the 16th of 28 hostage bodies that it had agreed to return as a part of the ceasefire deal that came into effect on October 10th. However, after forensic examination it was found that the remains were of the same hostage whose body had been returned two years back — Ofir Tzarfati.
According to the Associated Press, Israeli troops were shot at in Rafah on Tuesday, after which they returned fire, per an Israeli military official.