On Tuesday (Oct. 28), the Israeli military carried out renewed actions in Gaza at the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, breaking the ceasefire negotiated Oct. 10. Netanyahu ordered “powerful strikes” to be carried out in response to an alleged cover-up by the Hamas organization regarding the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage taken Oct. 7, 2023.
The prime minister’s office said that the airstrikes were ordered after Netanyahu met with security ministers who advised him of Israeli Defense Forces coming under fire in the southern Gaza Strip, and showed drone footage allegedly of Hamas operatives using the remains of an IDF soldier in place of one of the hostages for a handover per ceasefire terms. “Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz.
In a statement, Hamas said that Israel’s allegations were “baseless and aimed at misleading public opinion.” They also declared they would halt the handover of the remaining 13 dead hostages they have or are trying to locate. Families of the hostages and other critics have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war in order to further delay his ongoing trial. According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu is accused of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.
The Gaza Government Media Office fired back at Israel’s allegation of Hamas breaking the ceasefire by listing 125 incidents where Israel broke it after Oct. 10, “resulting in the killing of 94 Palestinians and the injury of more than 344 others.” One instance occurred Oct. 19, when airstrikes took place after Israel claimed two of its soldiers were killed in Rafah. President Donald Trump, who helped enact the ceasefire, said that it was still in place after that attack, but that Israel should “hit back” if attacked. “Nothing is going to jeopardize” the ceasefire, he said to reporters on Air Force One, according to the BBC. “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”
