Tel Aviv, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army on Tuesday to launch “immediate, powerful strikes” in the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire agreement, his office said.

Netanyahu instructed the army to strike following security consultations, his office said in a statement cited by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since October 10 under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.

Soon after, Hamas said it would delay handing over the remains of another hostage under the terms of the truce deal over what it called Israel’s truce “violations”.

Late on Monday, Hamas handed over what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10.

Israeli forensics however claimed Hamas had handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel around two years ago, according to Netanyahu’s office.

In returning only the partial remains of an already returned captive, Netanyahu’s office and a campaign group representing hostage families accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire. 

Agencies