Israel Says It Will Uphold Gaza Ceasefire As Strikes Kill 104 People

Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza late on Tuesday, saying it mounted the strikes after an attack by Palestinian militants killed one soldier, in the latest challenge to an already fragile ceasefire.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it would continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and would respond firmly to “any violation”. 

CEASEFIRE NOT AT RISK, TRUMP SAYS

U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S.-backed ceasefire was not at risk even as Israeli planes struck across Gaza, with Israel and militant group Hamas blaming each other for breaches of the truce.

Gazan health authorities said the Israeli strikes killed at least 104 people, including five in a house hit in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, four in a building in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, and five in a car in Khan Younis. 

“As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back,” he added.

The Israeli military confirmed the soldier’s death on Wednesday.

“Nothing is going to jeopardize” the ceasefire, Trump said. “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”

ISRAEL SAYS HAMAS ATTACKED SOLDIERS WITHIN ‘YELLOW LINE’

Some displaced Palestinians feared the truce was falling apart. Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three children, recalled the sounds of explosions throughout the night, a reminder of a war that has killed tens of thousands.

“It was one of the worst nights since the ceasefire was signed. The sounds of explosions and planes made us feel as if war had started again,” Zayda, who lives in tents in western Gaza City with his 25-member family, told Reuters via a chat app.

An Israeli military official said Hamas had violated the ceasefire by carrying out an attack against Israeli forces who were stationed within the so-called “yellow line”, the deployment line agreed upon in the ceasefire.

The agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

“If they (Hamas) are good, they are going to be happy and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated,” Trump said.

“Nobody knows what happened to the Israeli soldier but they say it was sniper fire. And it was retribution for that, and I think they have a right to do that.”

Hamas denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli forces in Rafah, in southern Gaza, and said in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire deal.

ACCORD INVOLVES RETURN OF HOSTAGE REMAINS

Under the accord, Hamas released all living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel pulled back its troops and halted its offensive.

Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all dead hostages yet to be recovered, but has said that it will take time to locate and retrieve all of the bodies. Israel says the militant group can access the remains of most of the hostages.

The issue has become one of the main sticking points in the ceasefire, which Trump says he is watching closely.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said human remains handed over on Monday night belonged to an Israeli killed during Hamas’ October 7 attack, whose body was recovered by Israeli forces in the early weeks of fighting.

The Israeli military said that Hamas had planted the remains at an excavation site before calling in a Red Cross team and pretending it had found a missing hostage, to create a “false impression of efforts to locate bodies”.

A 14-minute video published by the military showed three men placing a white bag at an excavation site and then covering it with earth and rocks.

Reuters was able to independently confirm the location of the video, but was unable to verify the date of the video or Israel’s account of what the video showed.

Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ICRC said its team was unaware that the remains had been planted at the site before their arrival.

“It is unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged, when so much depends on this agreement being upheld and when so many families are still anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones,” the ICRC said in a statement.

Israeli planes struck in Gaza on Tuesday after Israel accused the militant group Hamas of violating the ceasefire, the latest violence in the three-week-old deal brokered by Trump.

Gazan health authorities said the strikes killed at least 26 people, including five in a house hit in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, four in a building in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, and five in a car in Khan Younis.

“As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back,” he added.

The Israeli military confirmed the soldier’s death on Wednesday.

“Nothing is going to jeopardize” the ceasefire, Trump said. “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, which followed a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying he had ordered immediate “powerful attacks.”

An Israeli military official said Hamas had violated the ceasefire by carrying out an attack against Israeli forces who were stationed within the so-called ‘yellow line’, the deployment line agreed upon in the ceasefire.

The U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both sides have accused each other of ceasefire violations.

“If they (Hamas) are good, they are going to be happy and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated,” Trump said.

“Nobody knows what happened to the Israeli soldier but they say it was sniper fire. And it was retribution for that, and I think they have a right to do that.”

Hamas denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli forces in Rafah, in southern Gaza and said in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire deal.