Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Tuesday he has ordered the military to instantly perform “highly effective strikes” in Gaza, a brand new check for the tenuous U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
The order from Netanyahu follows heightened tensions, as Israel reported Hamas firing on its forces in southern Gaza and after Hamas returned a set of stays that Israel stated belonged to a hostage recovered earlier within the battle.
Netanyahu referred to as the return a “clear violation” of the ceasefire settlement, which requires Hamas to return all Israeli hostage stays as quickly as potential.
In an indication of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops had been shot at within the southern metropolis of Rafah on Tuesday and returned fireplace, based on an Israeli navy official who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of there hasn’t been an official announcement but.
There are nonetheless 13 our bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas stated Tuesday it has recovered the physique of a hostage that it plans at hand over this night.
An Related Press videographer in Khan Younis witnessed what gave the impression to be a white physique bag being carried out from a tunnel by a number of males, together with some masked militants, after which transported into an ambulance. It was not instantly clear what was within the bag.
The gradual return of hostages’ our bodies is posing a problem to implementing the subsequent phases of the ceasefire, which can tackle even knottier points, such because the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of a world safety pressure in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory.
Hamas has stated it’s struggling to find the our bodies amid the huge destruction in Gaza, whereas Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a workforce of specialists and heavy gear to assist seek for the our bodies of the remaining hostages. That work continued Tuesday in Khan Younis and Nuseirat.
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That is the second time because the ceasefire started on Oct. 10 that is still turned over by Hamas have been problematic. Israel stated one of many our bodies Hamas launched within the first week of the ceasefire belonged to an unidentified Palestinian.
Throughout a earlier ceasefire in February 2025, Hamas stated it handed over the our bodies of three hostages, Shiri Bibas and her two sons, however testing confirmed that one of many our bodies returned was recognized as a Palestinian lady. Shiri Bibas’ physique was returned a day later.
The stays returned in a single day have been recognized as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, Netanyahu’s workplace stated.
Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music pageant within the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel that began the battle. In all, the militants killed some 1,200 people who day, principally civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Tzarfati was killed in captivity and his physique was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his household obtained further stays for burial.
Tzarfati’s household stated in a press release that that is the third time “we have now been pressured to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son.”
In change for 15 lifeless hostages returned from Gaza because the ceasefire started, Israel has handed again to Gaza 195 Palestinian our bodies. The final 20 dwelling hostages had been returned to Israel at the beginning of the ceasefire, and in change, Israel freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel kills 3 Palestinians in a West Financial institution raid
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli authorities stated they’d killed three Palestinian militants early throughout an operation within the northern a part of the occupied West Financial institution, the most recent motion in Israel’s stepped-up navy exercise within the territory because the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault.
Israeli police stated the three males had been shot as they got here out of a cave close to Jenin, a city within the northern West Financial institution generally known as a militant stronghold. The Israeli navy stated in a press release that the militants “took half in terror exercise in Jenin,” however gave no additional particulars.
Two militants had been shot and killed within the preliminary volley of gunfire. The third, who was wounded, was killed shortly after, based on the Israeli navy.
An earlier assertion stated the Israeli navy carried out an airstrike shortly afterward to destroy the cave. The military confirmed an airstrike within the space however gave no additional particulars.
Hamas condemned the Jenin strike and later recognized two of the three males as militants with Hamas’ Qassam Brigades. The third man was known as a “comrade,” however no further particulars about him got.
Israel says its operations have cracked down on militants within the West Financial institution. However Palestinians and human rights teams say scores of uninvolved civilians have additionally been among the many lifeless, whereas tens of 1000’s of individuals have been displaced from their houses.
Over 68,500 Palestinians have died within the two-year battle in Gaza, based on Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its rely. The ministry maintains detailed casualty data which can be seen as typically dependable by U.N. companies and unbiased specialists. Israel has disputed them with out offering its personal toll.
Related Press writers Josef Federman and Renata Brito in Jerusalem and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
