DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military said Wednesday the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes across the Palestinian territory that killed at least 81 people, including women and children, according to local hospitals.
The strikes — the deadliest since the ceasefire was enacted on Oct. 10 — marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to conduct “powerful strikes” over Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire. Hamas said in response that that it would delay handing over the body of another hostage.
U.S. President Donald Trump, currently on a trip to Asia, defended the strikes, saying Israel was justified in carrying them out after what he said was an incident in which Hamas killed an Israeli soldier during an exchange of gunfire in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza.
Hamas denied any involvement in that deadly shooting and in turn accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal.
Mounting death toll
Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, said the death toll was likely to rise further as many of the 45 who were being treated at the hospital — including 20 children — were in critical condition.
He said the hospital received 21 bodies, including seven women and six children. That’s on top of the at least 60 people who were reported killed earlier.
First, the Aqsa Hospital in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah reported at least 10 bodies, among them three women and six children. Their bodies reached the hospital overnight after two Israeli airstrikes there. In southern Gaza, the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 20 bodies after five Israeli strikes in the area, of which 13 were children and two were women.
Elsewhere in central Gaza, the Al-Awda Hospital said it received 30 bodies, including 14 children.
Netanyahu’s order
Netanyahu’s order to launch strikes came after an Israeli official said its forces were fired upon in southern Gaza and after Hamas handed over body parts on Monday that Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war.
The Israeli prime minister called the return of these body parts a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return the remaining hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of these remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute edited video captured by a military drone in Gaza.
Israel notified the United States before launching the strikes on Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject.
The Israeli military said its forces struck “30 terrorists holding command positions within terrorist organizations” operating inside the Palestinian territory.
Later, it said Israeli forces would continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement but would “respond firmly” to any violation of the deal.
Trump defends Israel
Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that Israel “should hit back” when its troops come under attack.
But he said he’s still confident the ceasefire would withstand the escalation in violence because “Hamas is a very small part of the overall Middle East peace. And they have to behave.” If not, they will be “terminated,” Trump added.
An Israeli military official said Wednesday that the soldier was killed by “enemy fire” on Tuesday afternoon targeting his vehicle in Rafah. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential military operations.
The official said Israeli troops in the area came under attack numerous times Tuesday as they worked to destroy tunnels and Hamas infrastructure. Israel identified the soldier who was killed as Master Sgt. Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37.
Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah gunfire and reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire.
“The violent strikes carried out by Israel across the strip is a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal,” said the militant group, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to stop.
Gaza hospitals try to cope with casualties
Ambulances and small trucks carrying bodies crowded hospital entrances overnight across Gaza. In Deir Al-Balah, bodies were wheeled in on stretchers, and others carried in on mattresses. One man walked into the hospital carrying the body of a young child.
“They struck right next to us, and we saw all the rubble on top of us and our young ones,” said a woman standing outside of the hospital.
At dawn, displaced Palestinians at the camp cleared remains of a destroyed tent next to a crater where the strike hit. They found the body of a small child and wrapped it in a blanket.
“What kind of a ceasefire is this?” Amna Qrinawi, a survivor, asked.
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