Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he has ordered the army to immediately carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza, a new test for the tenuous US-brokered ceasefire.
Associated Press reporters and witnesses heard tank fire and saw explosions in various parts of Gaza, including in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah.
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 remains that Israel said belonged to a hostage recovered earlier in the war.
Netanyahu called the return a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return all Israeli hostage remains as soon as possible.
In a sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there had not been an official announcement yet.
There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said on Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage, but after Israeli announced the plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said it in a statement it would delay the handover.
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