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By Gabe Whisnant
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he has ordered the military to launch “powerful strikes” in Gaza, a move that threatens to unravel a fragile U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
Why It Matters
Netanyahu’s announcement came after Israel accused Hamas of opening fire on its troops in southern Gaza and amid growing tensions over the return of hostage remains. Israel said Hamas had handed over a set of remains that belonged to an Israeli hostage recovered earlier in the war. Netanyahu called the return a “clear violation” of the cease-fire agreement, which requires Hamas to return all hostages’ bodies as soon as possible.
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On October 7, 2023 at the Nova music festival, Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. There are still 13 bodies of Israeli hostages believed to be in Gaza.
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What To Know
In Rafah, Israeli forces came under fire Tuesday and returned shots, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there has been no official announcement. The exchange of fire underscored the fragility of the cease-fire, which has largely held since it took effect Oct. 10 following months of heavy fighting.
Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered the body of another hostage that it plans to hand over later in the day. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis saw what appeared to be a white body bag carried out from a tunnel by several men, some wearing masks, before being placed in an ambulance. It was unclear whose remains were inside.
The slow pace of returning hostages’ bodies has complicated efforts to move forward with the next phases of the cease-fire, which are expected to address more contentious issues — including Hamas’ disarmament, the potential deployment of an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, and determining who will govern the territory once the fighting fully stops.
It’s the second time since the Trump-brokered ceasefire began that a handover of remains has been disputed. Israel said one of the bodies Hamas released during the first week of the truce belonged to a Palestinian, not an Israeli hostage.
During an earlier cease-fire in February, Hamas said it had returned the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but DNA testing later revealed that one of the remains belonged to a Palestinian woman. Bibas’ body was returned a day later.
Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants early Tuesday during an operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of intensified military actions since the war in Gaza began.
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Israeli police said the men were shot as they emerged from a cave near Jenin, a longtime militant stronghold. The Israeli military said in a statement that the three “took part in terror activity in Jenin” but did not elaborate. Two were killed in the initial exchange of gunfire, and the third, who was wounded, was later shot dead, the army said.
An airstrike was carried out shortly afterward to destroy the cave, according to the military, which confirmed the strike but gave no additional details. Hamas condemned the operation and identified two of the men as members of its Qassam Brigades. The third was described as a “comrade,” though his affiliation was not specified.
Israel says its operations in the West Bank are aimed at dismantling militant networks responsible for attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. But Palestinians and human rights organizations say the raids have also claimed the lives of numerous civilians and displaced tens of thousands.
More than 68,500 Palestinians have been killed in the two-year war in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry’s figures are considered generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent analysts, though Israel disputes the numbers and has not provided its own count.
What People Are Saying
An Arab official involved in mediating the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas said Tuesday that talks were underway with both sides to prevent the truce from collapsing: “Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach [of ceasefire violations]."
Yasemin Acar, a member of the steering committee for the Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition, wrote in an Opinion article for Newsweek: Bombing nations, enforcing blockades and underwriting military campaigns will never create real peace. They only deepen destruction. Ultimately, peace cannot be defined by those who profit from war, occupation or political expedience. It must be rooted in justice, accountability and recognition of the rights of the oppressed. Until that happens, ceasefires and "peace deals" will remain superficial gestures, temporary "pauses" that mask deeper violence and ongoing dispossession.
What Happens Next
Hamas has said it is struggling to locate all the remains amid Gaza’s vast destruction, while Israeli officials accuse the militant group of deliberately stalling. Egypt has sent experts and heavy equipment to help locate the missing bodies, with search efforts continuing Tuesday in Khan Younis and the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Updates: 10/28/25, 1:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Updates: 10/28/25, 2:04 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 10/28/25, 2:32 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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