Israel accuses Hamas of truce violation
Israel has accused Hamas of breaching the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement after returning remains claimed to belong to an Israeli hostage, which forensic tests later revealed did not match any missing individual.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the “return of misidentified body parts” by Hamas constituted a “clear violation” of the truce, prompting him to order immediate and “powerful strikes” on Gaza.
The Israeli military conducted air raids on parts of Gaza, including the Sabra and Khan Younis areas, resulting in multiple fatalities, according to local health authorities.
In an official statement, the Israeli military claimed that Hamas fighters attacked Israeli troops in a zone east of the ceasefire “yellow line” an area from which Israeli forces had withdrawn under the agreement and accused Hamas of staging the discovery and transfer of bodies to create a false impression of compliance.
Hamas, for its part, denied responsibility for the raids, stating it remained committed to the ceasefire and that it had postponed further returns of remains in response to Israel’s violations.
The development marks one of the most serious tests to the truce since it began on October 10 underscoring the deal’s fragility and putting renewed pressure on mediators to enforce compliance.
