Why did Israel launch air strikes on Gaza, then ‘resume’ truce?

Palestinians successful Gaza person experienced the deadliest 24 hours since the commencement of the United States-brokered ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas went into effect astir 3 weeks ago.

Israel killed much than 100 people, including 46 children, successful attacks precocious connected Tuesday and connected Wednesday. Medical sources told Al Jazeera the strikes deed each implicit Gaza.

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This adds to dozens of erstwhile ceasefire violations with a rocky outlook ahead. Let’s instrumentality a look astatine wherever things stand:

What’s the latest?

The Israeli subject said by noon connected Wednesday that it was returning to the ceasefire successful enactment with instructions from the governmental enactment but remained acceptable to onslaught again if necessary.

It said it deed much than 30 targets successful the besieged enclave, claiming that the targets were “terrorists successful bid positions wrong panic organisations”.

But arsenic much residential buildings were flattened by the Israeli bombs, astatine slightest 18 members of the aforesaid household successful cardinal Gaza, including children, parents and grandparents, were among the victims.

Civil Defence teams and Palestinians hunt for radical successful Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood aft Israeli strikes connected October 29, 2025 [Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Civil Defence teams erstwhile again had to usage tiny tools and their hands to excavation successful the rubble of bombed areas to hunt for survivors and the dead. Several tents belonging to displaced Palestinian families were besides targeted.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, astatine slightest 68,643 radical person been killed and 170,655 wounded since the start of Israel’s genocidal war successful October 2023.

What was Israel’s justification?

On Tuesday, Israel announced that the assemblage of a captive transferred from Gaza by Hamas done the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) did not lucifer 1 of the 13 to beryllium handed implicit arsenic portion of the ceasefire.

Israeli forensic analysts determined that the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, who was taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led attacks connected confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, and whose partial remains were recovered successful November of the aforesaid year.

Israeli officials reacted furiously, particularly far-right ministers successful the conjugation authorities who are against stopping the warfare connected Gaza and privation Hamas “destroyed”. An organisation tally by the families of the captives besides expressed outrage and demanded action.

A abbreviated clip later, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s equipped wing, said it would manus implicit the remains of an Israeli captive astatine 8pm (18:00 GMT), but it held disconnected aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful strikes” connected Gaza.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were besides heard successful the confederate metropolis of Rafah. Israel alleged this was an onslaught by Hamas fighters, thing Hamas rejected.

Israel besides accused the Palestinian radical of “staging” the betterment of a captive’s remains aft showing footage purportedly of Hamas fighters burying a assemblage earlier calling successful the ICRC.

The ICRC said its unit “were not alert that a deceased idiosyncratic had been placed determination anterior to their arrival”.

Palestinian fighters with Hamas hunt a tract for the remains of an Israeli captive successful Khan Younis successful the confederate Gaza Strip connected October 28, 2025 [Haseeb Alwazeer/Reuters]

What’s successful the ceasefire?

As portion of the agreement, which entered into unit connected October 10, Hamas handed implicit each remaining 20 surviving captives held successful Gaza wrong respective days.

The radical has besides handed implicit the remains of 15 deceased Israeli captives arsenic portion of the woody with 13 others remaining unrecovered oregon undelivered.

Israel has allowed immoderate humanitarian assistance into Gaza, but supplies person been good beneath the 600 trucks a time specified successful the ceasefire, a level that is required to assistance the famine-stricken population.

Israel has besides prevented tents and mobile homes from entering the enclave but has fto immoderate dense machinery participate to hunt for the remains of its captives.

After each the remains are handed over, a 2nd signifier of the ceasefire could perchance participate into force, allowing the deployment of an planetary stabilisation unit and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Israeli officials person repeatedly stressed that they volition not let the enactment of a sovereign Palestinian authorities and person been advancing with a program to illegally annex the occupied West Bank contempt planetary criticism.

What is Hamas saying?

Hamas has accused Israel of fabricating “false pretexts” to renew aggression successful Gaza.

Before the attacks implicit the past day, Hamas  said Israel had carried retired astatine slightest 125 violations.

Since October 10, the Health Ministry successful Gaza said, astatine slightest 211 Palestinians person been killed and 597 wounded successful Israeli attacks portion 482 bodies person been recovered.

(Al Jazeera)

Hamas has besides accused Israel of obstructing efforts to retrieve the bodies of the captives portion utilizing the aforesaid bodies arsenic an excuse to assertion noncompliance.

It pointed retired that Israel has prevented capable dense machinery from entering Gaza to retrieve the remains and has prevented hunt teams from accessing cardinal areas.

The Qassam Brigades said its fighters person recovered the bodies of 2 much deceased captives, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, during hunt operations conducted connected Tuesday.

Hamas and different Palestinian factions person said they are prepared to manus implicit medication of Gaza to a technocratic Palestinian assemblage portion maintaining that equipped absorption is simply a effect of decades-long occupation and apartheid by Israel.

What does this mean for Gaza’s civilians?

Since the commencement of the war, civilians person been the main casualties of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

They person been disproportionately targeted, arsenic they were successful the latest overnight attacks, and person besides seen Gaza’s infrastructure and means of surviving destroyed by bombs and invading Israeli forces.

Because obscurity successful Gaza is afloat safe, Palestinians underwent different time of panic that the Israeli attacks could beryllium extended.

Israeli warplanes and reconnaissance craft continued to hover implicit the enclave.

What happens now?

The US has repeatedly expressed enactment for Israel contempt its ceasefire violations, emphasising Israel’s close to support itself.

President Donald Trump said connected Wednesday that the ceasefire “is not successful jeopardy” contempt the strikes.

Mediator Qatar has antecedently condemned violations of the statement and accused Israel of undermining its implementation. But on with Egypt, it has worked to guarantee the woody stays alive.