In fresh challenge to a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the army to immediately carry out "powerful" strikes in Gaza.
Netanyahu's announcement came shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire at Israeli forces in southern Gaza.
BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to "carry out powerful strikes in Gaza," the prime minister's office said.https://t.co/Kiytp2M4mX pic.twitter.com/Xjm1r6ZoVG
— ABC News (@ABC) October 28, 2025
However, Hamas military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said Israel violated the ceasefire due to which the planned return of hostage's body has been postponed.
Hamas, in a statement, said, "We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation’s violations. Any Israeli escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies".
This comes amid tensions looming over Hamas returning a mortal remains of a hostage whom Israel said belonged to the body of an Israeli hostage recovered earlier in the war.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that it has lifted all restrictions that were still in place near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Bodies of 13 hostages are still in Gaza and the slow recovery of those remains is posing challenges to the implementation of the second phase of the already-fragile ceasefire. Hamas claimed that it is struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza. Israel has alleged that Hamas is purposely delaying return of the bodies.
In exchange for the bodies of dead hostages, Israel has handed back 195 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, which is less than half of those identified. Hamas returned the last 20 living hostages Israel when the first phase of the truce began, and in exchange Israel sent around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners to Gaza.
