Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “forceful strikes” over the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying that Hamas had broken the ceasefire agreement. This was a big jump in tensions.
The announcement came soon after Israeli troops in southern Gaza said that Hamas had opened fire on them, which started the fighting again following a short break in the fragile truce.
Israel also said that Hamas sent over a set of remains that they thought belonged to one of the hostages, which made things even more tense. Later, though, Israeli officials said that the remains belonged to a hostage who had already been found, which made the Israeli leadership even more angry and distrustful.
Netanyahu’s order for more military action might be a turning point in the ceasefire’s stability, which has been shaky because of claims and periodic bloodshed on both sides.
Officials have not yet said how many strikes there would be or what their exact targets will be, but the action shows that Israel’s war council is getting more and more frustrated with Hamas for not keeping the ceasefire.