Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered immediate strikes in Gaza on Tuesday after Israel Defense Forces soldiers came under fire near Rafah, testing a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached on October 9 and implemented October 10.
Israeli planes struck targets across the Gaza Strip on October 28 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had directed the military to carry out “immediate” and “powerful/forceful” attacks. The order followed reports that militants fired on IDF troops stationed in Rafah earlier in the day. Reuters reported the strikes and cited the prime minister’s office statement, which did not detail targets. Fox News also quoted the statement. (reuters.com)
The flare-up comes less than three weeks into a truce-and-hostage deal reached on October 9 and in effect since October 10, a pact championed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump hailed the agreement at the time; Israel’s cabinet formally approved the outline and the first phase began with Israeli pullbacks and prisoner–hostage exchanges. (reuters.com)
Times of Israel reported that “terror operatives” opened fire at IDF troops in Rafah on Tuesday, and noted Palestinian accounts of Israeli shelling in the area. The IDF initially did not comment on the incident and it remained unclear whether the gunmen were affiliated with Hamas or another faction. (timesofisrael.com)
Hamas’s armed wing later said it would postpone a planned handover of a deceased hostage’s body on Tuesday, citing alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Reuters noted the group’s statement on Telegram and that Hamas said any Israeli escalation would impede recovery operations. (reuters.com)
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli officials accused Hamas of staging a fake “discovery” of hostage remains. The IDF released drone footage purporting to show operatives re-burying and then theatrically unearthing partial remains of Ofir Tzarfati—whose body Israel had already recovered in 2023—before transferring them to the Red Cross. The Times of Israel published details and the IDF video; the Prime Minister’s Office called it a clear breach of the agreement. (timesofisrael.com)
Netanyahu’s latest order was not the first Israeli action since the truce began. On October 19, after two IDF soldiers were killed in the Rafah area, Israel carried out airstrikes across Gaza; international outlets reported dozens of Palestinian fatalities that day. The IDF said it targeted Hamas infrastructure; Fox News and other outlets reported the military also dismantled about six kilometers of underground infrastructure using more than 120 munitions. (washingtonpost.com)
Under the deal, Hamas released all surviving hostages and is obligated to return the remains of those confirmed dead; Israeli officials say 13 bodies are still in Gaza and contend Hamas can access many of them, a point Hamas disputes as recovery operations continue amid rubble. (timesofisrael.com)
Israel has been physically marking an internal “Yellow Line” inside Gaza per the ceasefire framework to delineate IDF-held areas. The IDF and Israeli media have said authorities are considering shifting the line westward—expanding the area under Israeli control—if violations persist. Reports to that effect appeared in Channel 12/Times of Israel and Israel Hayom; the Jerusalem Post said Israel would expand control in response to Tuesday’s breach. (idf.il)
The U.S. has established a Civil–Military Coordination Center inside Israel to help monitor the truce and coordinate aid and security tasks. CENTCOM said roughly 200 American personnel stood up the hub on October 17; Reuters described it operating out of Kiryat Gat with international partners. Times of Israel chronicled the presence of U.S. troops at the site. (centcom.mil)
Trump has warned Hamas over internal violence and the handling of remains. On October 16 he posted: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” later clarifying U.S. troops would not enter Gaza and that regional forces would act “under our auspices.” AP, ABC News and other outlets reported both the threat and his clarification. (apnews.com)