(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israeli warplanes struck Gaza City on Tuesday (October 28), targeting an area near Shifa hospital, the largest remaining operational medical facility in northern Gaza, according to witnesses and Hamas media, Reuters reported.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes, the news report stated.

The attack came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to carry out "powerful attacks" in response to what he called a Hamas violation of the fragile ceasefire in place since October 10.

Israel accuses Hamas of ceasefire breach

Netanyahu's office gave no further details, though an Israeli military official accused Hamas of firing on Israeli forces in an area under Israeli control.

“This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.

The current US-backed truce halted two years of war that began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaches in recent days, including an Israeli claim of a“targeted strike” in central Gaza on Saturday.

Dispute over hostage remains

Earlier, Netanyahu accused Hamas of breaking the agreement by returning the wrong remains during the process of handing over hostage bodies. Israel said the remains delivered belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had already been partially retrieved by Israeli forces.

In response, Hamas announced it would delay a planned handover of another hostage's remains, alleging Israeli violations of the deal.

Hamas said it continues to comply with the terms and accused Netanyahu of“looking for excuses” to back out of Israel's obligations.

Ceasefire terms under strain

As part of the agreement, Hamas should release all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while Israel withdrew its troops and paused major operations. Hamas also agreed to locate and return bodies of deceased hostages, though the group said the process is difficult amid widespread destruction.

Israel insists Hamas has access to most of the remains.

Search effort expands across Gaza

The search intensified this week, with Egyptian heavy machinery operating in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Bulldozers have been digging near tunnel shafts as Hamas fighters secure the area, looking for remains believed to be buried in the militant group's underground tunnel network.

Footage from Reuters showed excavations several metres deep, including one tunnel entrance where fighters appeared to be searching for bodies.

Human toll of the war

Gaza health officials say 68,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli strikes since the war began, with thousands more missing under rubble. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in the October 2023 attack.

US President Donald Trump has said Washington is closely monitoring the status of the ceasefire as tensions rise over hostage recovery efforts.
(With Reuters inputs)

Also Read | Ex-Commerce Secretary's warning to Trump: We're making a big mistake with India

MENAFN28102025007365015876ID1110261898