Israel’s military says ceasefire is back on after overnight retaliatory strikes in Gaza

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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy retaliatory airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory.

The strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date.

The bombardment pointed to Israel’s readiness to strike hard at Hamas violations of the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile the terrorist group denies it is responsible. and blames Israel for violations.

After it announced the restoration of the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it carried out another airstrike in northern Gaza, targeting a site where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack.

The latest violence puts new strains on American pressure to keep the ceasefire on track. President Donald Trump defended Israel’s strikes but also insisted the escalation won’t wreck the truce.

Israel said its overnight strikes were in retaliation for the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Hamas violated provisions in the deal concerning the handover of remains of hostages.

Hamas denied any involvement in the deadly shooting.

Deadly strikes across Gaza

The strikes across Gaza in the early hours Wednesday pounded buildings and tent camps housing displaced families.

The Israeli military said in a statement Wednesday that it carried out “precise strikes against dozens of Hamas” targets, including individuals, observation posts, weapons depots, mortar firing positions and tunnels.

It said it hit a number of senior Hamas fighters, including three battalion commanders, two deputy battalion commanders and 16 company commanders. It said they included terrorists involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war, including Nukhba company commander Hatem Maher Mousa Qudra, who led the attack on the Ein Hashlosha Kibbutz, the statement said.

The military said it would continue to “respond firmly and act decisively to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Hamas was responsible for the consequences of its ceasefire violation and attributed the high death toll to the militant group using civilians as human shields.

Throughout the war, Israel has often hit targets it says are Hamas figures while in their homes or shelters where their families are also located alongside other families.

How the strikes were triggered

An Israeli military official said Wednesday that the soldier in Rafah, identified as Master Sgt. Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, was killed by “enemy fire” that targeted his vehicle on Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential military operations, said Israeli troops in the area came under attack numerous times on Tuesday as they worked to destroy tunnels and Hamas infrastructure. The Israeli military has levelled almost the entire city of Rafah over the past months, demolishing nearly every building, according to satellite photos.

Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah gunfire.

Trump defends Israel

Trump, on a trip to Asia, defended the strikes, saying Israel was justified in carrying them out after Hamas killed the Israeli soldier, who also held U.S. citizenship.

Trump said Israel “should hit back” when its troops come under attack. But he said he’s still confident the ceasefire would withstand the escalation in violence because “Hamas is a very small part of the overall Middle East peace. And they have to behave.”

If not, they will be “terminated,” Trump added.