Netanyahu Orders Strikes on the Gaza Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday, October 28, that he had ordered “powerful strikes on the Gaza Strip immediately.”

The cease-fire agreement in Gaza had been the most notable diplomatic achievement of President Trump’s current term, but it is now at risk of collapse. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has focused on stabilizing the truce and urged both sides to avoid steps that could lead to its breakdown. As part of those efforts, the White House sent several senior officials to Israel and established an American coordination center there to monitor the situation.

However, growing tensions over the return of the bodies of slain hostages, as well as a shootout on Tuesday in the city of Rafah, have fueled calls in Israel for military action. Netanyahu’s orders could endanger the truce. Israeli officials say Hamas is “stalling” the handover of the remains of 13 hostages still held in Gaza.

On Saturday, Trump urged Hamas to “immediately begin returning the bodies of the dead hostages, including two Americans,” warning that if it failed to do so, “other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.” He acknowledged that some bodies might be in hard-to-reach areas but stressed that “others could be returned right now, yet for some reason they are not.” Trump said he would be “watching closely” over the next 48 hours.

On Monday, just hours before the deadline expired, Hamas handed over to Israel the remains of one of the hostages. But the next day, Israeli officials said the militants had in fact delivered only body fragments belonging to a hostage whose remains Israel had partially recovered more than a year earlier. Netanyahu called it a violation of the peace agreement.

A few hours later, the Israeli military released a 15-minute drone video that it said showed Hamas fighters staging the discovery of another hostage’s body. The footage shows a group of people throwing a body bag into a pit, covering it with debris, bringing in a bulldozer, and then summoning Red Cross representatives—apparently to document the “excavation.” Israeli officials said the footage proves that Hamas is merely pretending to conduct complex search operations. “They are violating the agreement, deceiving and mocking both Israel and the Trump administration.”

On Tuesday, Israel sent the video to the White House and the CIA, claiming it demonstrated a violation of the agreement and warranted a response. According to Axios, Trump administration officials told Netanyahu’s team that they did not view Hamas’s actions as a significant breach and strongly urged Israel to refrain from steps that could lead to the collapse of the cease-fire.

Following that, Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with the Israel Defense Forces command to discuss possible responses. The military presented several options—ranging from resuming airstrikes on Gaza to expanding the occupation zone that remains under Israeli control as part of the agreement. “The meeting ended without decisions, and Netanyahu emphasized that any further action must be coordinated with the United States,” an Israeli official said.

Shortly after the meeting, Hamas announced that it had found the body of another Israeli hostage in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and intended to return it to Israel later that day.

Later on Tuesday, Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles and sniper rounds at Israeli forces in the Rafah area in southern Gaza, the IDF said. Although most of that territory is under Israeli military control, militants continue to operate through tunnels. The skirmish escalated into heavy exchanges of fire, after which Israeli warplanes launched retaliatory strikes on Hamas positions in Rafah.

According to Israeli sources, after consulting with the military, Netanyahu attempted to reach Trump, who is on a visit to East Asia. It remains unclear whether the call took place.