Netanyahu Orders Swift, Forceful Strikes on Gaza After Ceasefire Breach

By: Fern Sidman

In a dramatic escalation that calls attention to the fragility of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to “carry out immediate and powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” according to a statement released by his office late Tuesday.

The decision followed a high-level security consultation in Jerusalem to address what officials described as “repeated and intolerable ceasefire violations” by Hamas. The announcement came hours after Hamas gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces in southern Gaza—a move that The Associated Press described as the most serious breach of the fragile truce since it was negotiated earlier this year.

According to the information provided in The Associated Press report, the latest exchange began when Israeli troops operating near Rafah came under attack from Hamas terrorists. The IDF confirmed that soldiers returned fire, though no Israeli casualties were reported. Israeli officials described the shooting as “a deliberate provocation,” and the Prime Minister’s Office said it constituted a clear violation of the terms of the ceasefire.

Adding to the tensions, Hamas on the same day returned what it claimed to be the body of an Israeli hostage—a gesture that was meant to signal compliance with the ceasefire’s humanitarian clauses. Instead, it fueled outrage in Israel.

The IDF later confirmed that the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, one of the 251 hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led terror attacks, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Tzarfati had been kidnapped from the Nova music festival and killed in captivity. His body was previously recovered by Israeli forces in late 2023, and his family had already received additional remains for burial earlier this year.

“This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son,” his family said in a statement cited by The Associated Press, calling the experience “a cruelty beyond comprehension.”

Netanyahu condemned Hamas’ actions as “a grotesque mockery of humanitarian norms” and said that the “false handover” amounted to a direct breach of the ceasefire terms, which require the immediate return of all Israeli hostage remains.

As reported by The Associated Press, the Prime Minister initially considered a range of possible retaliatory measures, including halting humanitarian aid into Gaza, expanding Israeli control of the territory, and targeted strikes on Hamas leadership compounds.

By nightfall, he chose the most forceful of those options. “Israel will respond decisively to every violation,” Netanyahu said. “We will not allow Hamas to dictate the terms of quiet while continuing its terror through deceit.”

Military analysts told The Associated Press that the directive to conduct “powerful strikes” likely signals precision air operations against Hamas command nodes, tunnel networks, and weapons storage facilities. IDF officials said these operations would be “intelligence-driven and proportional, but unmistakably firm.”

An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the Prime Minister’s patience had worn thin: “Netanyahu feels he’s given every opportunity for Hamas to comply. What we’re seeing now is the result of deliberate manipulation on their part, testing the limits of Israel’s restraint.”

The ceasefire, now in its fourth month, was designed to secure the return of living hostages and the remains of the dead while paving the way for long-term political arrangements in Gaza. But The Associated Press reported that the slow, often chaotic process of repatriating hostages’ bodies has exposed deep mistrust between Israel and Hamas.

Under the agreement, Israel has returned 195 Palestinian bodies in exchange for 15 deceased Israeli hostages, alongside the release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 20 living Israeli hostages earlier in the truce.

Hamas claims it is struggling to locate the remaining bodies amid the devastation in Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Israel, however, accused the group of deliberately stalling to gain leverage.

Over the weekend, The Associated Press observed teams of Egyptian specialists entering Gaza with heavy machinery to assist in excavation and recovery efforts. Egyptian officials confirmed that their mission—centered in Khan Younis and Nuseirat—was continuing under “challenging and unstable” conditions.

But this is not the first time Hamas’ handling of remains has raised alarms. In February 2025, the group claimed to have returned the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, only for forensic testing to reveal that one of the remains belonged to an unrelated Palestinian woman. Shiri’s body was returned a day later.

Such repeated discrepancies, The Associated Press report noted, have severely undermined trust in the ceasefire framework and complicated diplomatic mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

Beyond the humanitarian violations, the ceasefire is under increasing strain over broader political and security questions. According to The Associated Press, negotiations over the next phase of the truce—which would address Hamas’ disarmament, the deployment of an international monitoring force, and postwar governance in Gaza—have stalled amid mutual accusations.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel retains the right to act militarily until Hamas is fully dismantled and all hostages are returned, while Hamas has continued to portray Israel’s operations as violations of sovereignty and international law.

An Israeli military spokesperson, quoted by The Associated Press, stated bluntly: “The ceasefire is conditional. It is not a shield for Hamas to regroup, rearm, or deceive the world with theatrics.”

Still, some international observers have urged restraint. A European diplomat told The Associated Press that “Israel’s legitimate grievances are clear, but renewed escalation risks unraveling months of progress.”

Compounding the crisis, Israeli forces carried out an operation early Tuesday in the northern Samaria region that left three Palestinian terrorists dead, according to the Israeli police. The confrontation occurred near Jenin, long considered a terrorist stronghold.

The IDF said the men were part of a local terror cell operating out of a cave, from which they had conducted multiple attacks in recent months. The Associated Press report cited an Israeli statement confirming that two were killed in the initial firefight, while the third—wounded but still armed—was shot shortly thereafter. The IDF subsequently conducted an airstrike to destroy the cave and its weapons cache.

Hamas later confirmed that two of the men were members of its Qassam Brigades, and a third was described as a “comrade in resistance.” The organization condemned the Israeli action as a “Zionist massacre.”

The Associated Press report noted that the raid reflects Israel’s continuing counterterrorism campaign in Judea and Samaria, where hundreds of terrorists have been arrested or killed since the October 7 attacks. Israeli security officials argue that the operations are essential to prevent Hamas and Islamic Jihad from expanding their influence in the territory.

Inside Israel, the renewed hostilities have rekindled fierce domestic debate over the government’s strategy. The Associated Press reported that families of remaining hostages have urged Netanyahu to “prioritize humanitarian agreements over military escalation,” while right-wing ministers have demanded “total victory.”

Political commentators told The Associated Press that Netanyahu is balancing between these pressures while maintaining close coordination with Washington. President Trump, who has vocally backed Israel’s right to self-defense, has nonetheless emphasized the need for “precision, not escalation.”

At a press conference Tuesday night, Netanyahu defended his decision. “We are acting to defend our people and uphold our obligations,” he said. “The ceasefire cannot be one-sided. When Hamas fires on our soldiers and manipulates the remains of our dead, it is they who break the agreement—not us.”

For many Israelis, the latest developments confirm what they have long suspected—that the ceasefire exists more on paper than in practice. The Associated Press quoted one senior Israeli defense official as saying: “It’s a truce in name only. Hamas never stopped preparing for the next round.”

On the ground in Gaza, the situation remains tense and unpredictable. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis recorded masked terrorists carrying what appeared to be a white body bag out of a tunnel, placing it into an ambulance—possibly the remains of another hostage. Israeli officials have yet to verify the identity.

In Jerusalem, Netanyahu’s directive signals a decisive turn away from patience and toward renewed confrontation. Whether these “immediate and powerful” strikes will restore deterrence or ignite a wider escalation remains to be seen.

As one military analyst told The Associated Press, “Each ceasefire violation brings us closer to the collapse of the entire framework. And when that happens, the war begins anew.”