Overview
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered immediate strikes after Israel said Hamas breached the pact by handing over remains later identified as those of Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had been partly recovered in 2023.
- By Wednesday morning the Israeli military said it was reapplying the truce after hitting dozens of targets, following reports of attacks in Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City.
- Gaza’s civil defense and hospitals reported at least 30 to more than 100 people killed within hours, including children, as rescue teams worked through rubble.
- Hamas denied firing on Israeli troops, cited the difficulty of locating bodies in devastated areas, and postponed a planned delivery of another hostage’s remains.
- Israel has allowed Red Cross and Egyptian specialists, and in some cases Hamas personnel, to search in Israeli-controlled zones, while the United States says the cease-fire remains in force and urges continued implementation.