Gaza civil defense says Israel launched at least three air strikes
Israel launched at least three airstrikes on Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire by returning remains of a hostage Israel says was already recovered.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israel launched at least three air strikes on the territory on Tuesday, moments after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out new strikes. The developments came amid Israeli accusations that Hamas breached a US- and regional-mediated ceasefire by returning bone fragments that forensic tests linked to a hostage whose body Israel says it already recovered, intensifying calls in Israel for a forceful response.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense, told AFP that “the occupation is now bombing Gaza with at least three air strikes and until now five were killed, despite the ceasefire agreement.” Witnesses reported hearing blasts across parts of the territory, and the strikes occurred shortly after Israeli leaders signaled a readiness to hit back following what they described as violations of the ceasefire and attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Hamas attacked Israeli troops in Gaza despite an ongoing ceasefire and warned that the group would “pay a heavy price.” In a statement released by his office, Katz said: “The terrorist organization Hamas will pay a heavy price for attacking IDF soldiers in Gaza and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the hostages. Hamas’s attack today on IDF soldiers in Gaza is a crossing of a bright red line, to which the IDF will respond with great force.”
from their side the Palestinian militant group Hamas rejected accusations that its fighters attacked Israeli troops in Gaza on Tuesday, vowing to abide by the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel.
"Hamas affirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement," the group said in a statement.
At the same time U.S. Vice President JD Vance, downplays Israel-Hamas flareup, and tells reporters that the Gaza ceasefire will hold, despite today’s exchange of fire.
“There are going to be little skirmishes here and there. We know Hamas attacked an IDF soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond,” Vance says.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military will carry out intense strikes on the Gaza Strip after accusing Hamas of breaching the US-brokered ceasefire. Israeli officials said they would convene security chiefs to consider next steps following forensic findings that prompted sharp criticism and demands for decisive action from hard-line politicians and families of the hostages.
Hamas denied knowledge of the locations of the remains and described the accusation as “false.” Hazem Qassem, the movement’s spokesman, said Israeli bombardment over two years had left many sites unrecognizable. “We are committed to the ceasefire agreement and to handing over the bodies of Israeli captives… and we are working around the clock to achieve that,” he said, adding that “there are great difficulties in search and recovery operations.” Hamas announced it intended to hand over another body on Tuesday evening, saying remains had been found in the path of a tunnel in Gaza and would be handed over at 8 p.m. Gaza time (18:00 GMT).
Tuesday’s sequence of events — Gaza civil defense reports of air strikes, Israeli statements warning of a forceful response, forensic findings tying returned fragments to a previously recovered body, and Hamas’s denial coupled with a planned further handover — illustrate the precariousness of the current ceasefire. With security leaders set to weigh options and mediators under pressure, the prospect of renewed escalation looms, leaving families and civilians caught between political decisions and the enduring human cost of the conflict.
Updated at Oct. 28, 2025, in 10:43 PM
