Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that an Israeli air strike on a civilian vehicle in southern Gaza killed five people on Tuesday. According to agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, the attack targeted a vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Yunis, an area in the south of the territory. Earlier, the agency said two people were killed in a separate strike in Gaza City.
The escalation followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he had ordered the military to “carry out powerful attacks” against Hamas, accusing the group of violating the ceasefire agreement.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office did not detail the cause of the renewed offensive. However, an Israeli military official claimed that Hamas had breached the truce by launching an attack on Israeli forces in an area under Israeli control, calling it “another blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
Netanyahu also accused Hamas of violating the agreement by returning the wrong remains during a process meant to hand over the bodies of Israeli hostages. Hamas initially said it would deliver the body of a missing hostage found in a tunnel but later postponed the handover, citing what it described as Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
Israeli media reported exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in Rafah, though the Israeli military has not commented on the incidents. Hamas denied breaching the truce, asserting that Netanyahu was seeking pretexts to withdraw from Israel’s obligations.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire, still officially in effect, has seen mutual accusations of violations from both sides. Under the agreement, Hamas freed all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, while Israel paused its military operations and withdrew troops from parts of Gaza.
Hamas also agreed to return the remains of deceased hostages, but said it needed more time to locate them amid the devastation from two years of war. Israel, however, maintains that Hamas already has access to most of the bodies.
