Netanyahu Orders Immediate ‘Powerful’ Strikes on Gaza After Dispute Over Returned Hostage Body

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country’s military to launch immediate and “powerful” strikes on the Gaza Strip, his office announced on Monday.

The order came shortly after Israel declared that a coffin handed over by Hamas did not contain the body of an Israeli hostage, contradicting earlier claims by the Palestinian group.

According to Israeli authorities, forensic tests revealed that the remains in the coffin did not match any of the 13 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. In light of this, Israel accused Hamas of clearly violating the two-week-long ceasefire agreement currently in place between the sides.

In response, Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of fabricating “exaggerated false excuses” as a pretext for launching new aggression in Gaza. The group also claimed that Israel was obstructing efforts to recover the bodies of deceased hostages in the territory.

Israel, for its part, alleged that Hamas had repeatedly violated the ceasefire proposed earlier by former U.S. President Donald Trump, and vowed to retaliate with intense military action.

Israeli officials further accused Hamas of firing at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel stationed within designated ceasefire zones and of deliberately plotting deception regarding the hostages.

On Monday night, Hamas had announced that it was handing over the body of an Israeli hostage, but Israel later said that forensic examinations confirmed the remains were those of a person whose body had already been recovered from Gaza two years ago.

It was not immediately clear whether Israeli forces had begun the newly ordered strikes following Netanyahu’s directive. However, Hamas said it had postponed the planned transfer of another hostage’s body because of the renewed Israeli bombardment.

According to the BBC, tensions and fear have surged across Gaza after news of Netanyahu’s latest order spread.

Eyewitnesses in Gaza City and Khan Younis reported that residents rushed off the streets and hurried back to their homes and shelters as rumors of imminent airstrikes circulated.

“People were trying to get back home or to their tents before the warplanes arrived,” one witness told reporters.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of attacking IDF troops inside Gaza and violating the ceasefire.

“Hamas will pay a heavy price for this,” Katz warned.