Gaza Ceasefire Under Threat: Israeli Strikes Kill Over 100 Following Soldier's Death

Gaza truce, brokered by US President Donald Trump, took effect on October 10.

Palestinian Territories:

Israel reported conducting strikes against numerous Hamas targets following a soldier's death, resulting in Gaza experiencing its deadliest night of bombardment since the implementation of a US-brokered ceasefire earlier this month.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced it had begun "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire," though explosions remained visible on an AFP live video feed of Gaza's skyline after the statement's release.

US President Donald Trump, instrumental in negotiating the nearly three-week-old truce, previously stated that nothing would be permitted to compromise it, while simultaneously affirming Israel's right to "hit back" when attacked.

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that the strikes resulted in over 100 fatalities, including at least 35 children, a figure verified by an AFP tally from medical sources at five Gaza hospitals.

The territory's primary medical facility, Al-Shifa hospital, reported that one strike impacted its backyard.

"We had just started to breathe again, trying to rebuild our lives, when the bombardment came back," said 31-year-old Khadija al-Husni, residing in temporary shelter at a school within the Al-Shati refugee camp.

"It's a crime. Either there is a truce or a war -- it can't be both. The children couldn't sleep; they thought the war was over."

In the central city of Deir al-Balah, sheltering in a tent near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital, 40-year-old Jalal Abbas expressed despair, accusing Israelis of seeking false pretexts to resume military operations.

"The problem is that Trump gives them cover to kill civilians because they mislead him with false information," he told AFP.

"We want an end to the war and the escalation. We're exhausted and on the verge of collapse."

The Israeli military stated that its strikes targeted 30 senior militants, with Defence Minister Israel Katz asserting "dozens of Hamas commanders were neutralised".

"There will be no immunity for anyone in the leadership of the terrorist organisation Hamas... Whoever raises a hand against an IDF soldier, his hand will be severed," he added.

Israel explained it initiated the wave of strikes after a reservist -- Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37 -- was killed in Rafah when his engineering vehicle was struck by enemy fire.

"A few minutes later, several anti-tank missiles were fired at another armoured vehicle belonging to the troops in the area," a military official said.

Hamas claimed its fighters had "no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah" and reaffirmed its commitment to the US-backed ceasefire.

It also postponed the handover of what it described as a hostage's remains, explaining that the "escalation will hinder the search, excavation and recovery of the bodies".

Attackers captured 251 people during Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault on Israel that triggered the war. Following the ceasefire's implementation this month, Hamas returned the 20 surviving captives still in its custody and began returning 28 bodies.

However, a dispute regarding the process of returning the remaining remains threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement -- negotiated between Israel and Hamas with support from Trump's administration and regional mediators Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.

Israel accuses Hamas of violating the agreement by delaying returns, while the Palestinian group maintains it requires time to locate remains buried within Gaza's ruins.

Hamas faced increasing pressure on Monday after returning partial remains of a previously recovered captive, which Israel condemned as a breach of the truce.

Hamas had stated these remains constituted the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it agreed to return under the ceasefire arrangement that became effective on October 10.

However, Israeli forensic examination determined Hamas had actually handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been returned to Israel approximately two years earlier, according to Netanyahu's office.

Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian accused Hamas of staging the discovery.

"Hamas dug a hole in the ground yesterday, placed the partial remains... inside of it, covered it back up with dirt, and handed it over to the Red Cross," she told journalists.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, responding to circulating video apparently showing the deception, called it "unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged".

"The ICRC team at this location were not aware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, as seen in the footage," it stated, adding that its observers had acted in "good faith" and would address concerns with the warring parties.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem rejected claims that the group knows the remaining bodies' locations, arguing that Israel's bombardment has rendered locations unrecognizable.

Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in 1,221 deaths on the Israeli side, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 68,643 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.