Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered military strikes in Gaza after accusing Hamas of breaching the US-brokered ceasefire. The escalation marked the most significant challenge to the 18-day truce that began on October 10.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing Israeli planes launch strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, resulting in at least seven deaths, including two children. Medical sources confirmed that the victims were targeted by separate strikes.
Netanyahu's decision was fueled by a firefight between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops, as well as growing outrage over Hamas' handling of a hostage whose remains had been recovered by Israeli troops two years prior. The Israeli prime minister accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, sparking an emergency meeting with his cabinet.
In response to Netanyahu's claims, US President Donald Trump expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself, stating that "they should hit back" if their soldiers were killed. However, Trump also emphasized that nothing would jeopardize the fragile ceasefire.
Hamas denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli troops and maintained its commitment to the ceasefire deal. The militant group accused Israel of violating the agreement, citing more than 80 instances of breaches, resulting in at least 80 deaths since the truce began.
International efforts to facilitate the return of hostages' remains have been hampered by these tensions. On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross accompanied Hamas officials inside Gaza under Israeli control to locate the bodies.
Meanwhile, the Israeli health ministry's National Forensic Institute confirmed that a recent 'return' of an Israeli captive turned out to be a false discovery, further straining relations between the two sides.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing Israeli planes launch strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, resulting in at least seven deaths, including two children. Medical sources confirmed that the victims were targeted by separate strikes.
Netanyahu's decision was fueled by a firefight between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops, as well as growing outrage over Hamas' handling of a hostage whose remains had been recovered by Israeli troops two years prior. The Israeli prime minister accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, sparking an emergency meeting with his cabinet.
In response to Netanyahu's claims, US President Donald Trump expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself, stating that "they should hit back" if their soldiers were killed. However, Trump also emphasized that nothing would jeopardize the fragile ceasefire.
Hamas denied responsibility for the attack on Israeli troops and maintained its commitment to the ceasefire deal. The militant group accused Israel of violating the agreement, citing more than 80 instances of breaches, resulting in at least 80 deaths since the truce began.
International efforts to facilitate the return of hostages' remains have been hampered by these tensions. On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross accompanied Hamas officials inside Gaza under Israeli control to locate the bodies.
Meanwhile, the Israeli health ministry's National Forensic Institute confirmed that a recent 'return' of an Israeli captive turned out to be a false discovery, further straining relations between the two sides.
i just can't even right now... 7 deaths including 2 kiddos is just heartbreaking 
how can we keep going on like this? we gotta try to find peace here! 
let's all send some love and positive vibes towards israel and palestine 
maybe if we talk it out and be kind, we can find a way forward 
israel is like totally escalating things again and its all because they think hamas broke the ceasefire lol like who does that?! but at the same time idk man netanyahu seems super paranoid about those hostages what if israel never finds them? the US is always trying to stay neutral but trump's words are kinda harsh 
dont get me wrong im not pro-hamas or anything but come on israel needs to chill out and communicate properly with hamas like, literally talk it out instead of bombing ppl who have nothing to do with this 
The ceasefire has been fragile from day one, and it seems like both sides are just waiting for an excuse to escalate things further.
We need real progress on the hostages' remains issue, not just empty promises.
"War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength." - George Orwell 
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. I mean, it's been TWO YEARS since the remains of that Israeli captive were 'returned' and we're still not getting anywhere on this. It feels like everyone's just giving up on it altogether 
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another ceasefire just doesn't seem to stick in Gaza 
, is it? I was thinking about this last night and I'm still not sure why these leaders can't find common ground... Netanyahu's got a point about Hamas breaching the ceasefire, but Trump's all like "hit back" which just makes things worse. It feels like we're just getting stuck in this loop of retaliation and recrimination 
. And what's with the hostage thing? It's not that simple. The Red Cross is trying to help, but it's hard when there are so many conflicting stories 
. I remember when Trump was president, he used to be all about avoiding conflict... now seems like a different guy. 
And what's with Hamas denying everything, but then claiming Israel is violating the ceasefire? It's like they're both playing dumb and trying to shift the blame.
his "support" for Israel's right to defend itself just means they get a green light to keep killing people in Gaza 
80+ breaches already since the truce started? that's wild 
these hostages' remains have been stuck in limbo for two years now, it's just ridiculous 
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. This escalation is gonna have serious consequences for the civilians caught in the middle 
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. Meanwhile Hamas is saying Israel's breaking the ceasefire, but I'm not buying it 
. Can't we just try to find a way to live in peace for once? 
!!! how can it escalate into something more serious after just 18 days?! 
this whole thing is so messed up... i dont get why they cant just talk it out? its like, 2 kids died in the strikes and now both sides are blaming each other for what happened... how can we expect peace to come when ppl on both sides are so angry all the time? 
i guess international committee of red cross r doin their thang 2 help resolve this crisis 