Israel said on Wednesday that a ceasefire had resumed in the Gaza Strip after 100 people, including children, were reported killed in intense attacks it carried out across the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli military said it had “begun renewed implementation” of the fragile ceasefire after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful” strikes on the territory as Israel and Hamas traded accusations of ceasefire violations.
Dozens of targets were hit in the attack, he said, the most serious threat yet to the truce brokered in part by President Donald Trump.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense agency, told NBC News on Wednesday that more than 100 people, including more than 30 children, They had died since Tuesday night in the deadly attacks.
NBC News could not immediately independently verify the death toll and Gaza’s Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Basal said the attacks “targeted homes, tents and gatherings in several cities,” with intense shelling. He added that the assault continued into the morning and that the death toll was “expected to increase.”
An Israel Defense Forces official told NBC News that the order to carry out the strikes was a result of Hamas allegedly attacking soldiers in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, in an area controlled by Israel. NBC News could not independently verify the claim.
The IDF announced that an Israeli reservist soldier identified as Master Sergeant (Res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum had been killed in Rafah. Binyamin Regional Council spokesperson Hanan Greenwood told NBC News on Wednesday that Feldbaum, 37, had a U.S. passport.
Hamas denied any involvement in the incident and called Israel’s attacks a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire agreement as the group urged mediators to intervene and pressure Israel to stop its attacks.
Israel had previously accused Hamas of a similar attack in Rafah that killed two soldiers earlier this month, and the militant group also denied involvement at the time.
President Donald Trump expressed support for Israel’s actions, telling reporters on Air Force One: “the Israelis fought back, and they should fight back when that happens.”
Still, he maintained that the Gaza truce was not at risk, adding that Hamas was a “very small part” of Middle East peace.
“They said they would be good, and if they are good they will be happy,” he said. “And if they are not good, they will be fired.”
Vice President JD Vance also maintained that “the ceasefire holds,” adding: “That doesn’t mean there won’t be small skirmishes here and there.”
Tensions have also increased over the return of hostage remains.
The militant group returned all live hostages held in Gaza, but has so far not returned the remains of all hostages who died in the enclave.
Both Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has helped facilitate the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel, had warned that it would be difficult to locate bodies under the rubble of Gaza.
But on Tuesday Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement after returning body parts identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, whose remains were already returned to Israel about two years ago in a military operation.
The Israeli military also released images that it said showed Hamas organizing the recovery of hostage remains, and the images appeared to show people carrying what appeared to be a white shroud from a building and covering it with dirt before uncovering the area in front of a recovery team.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ICRC addressed the incident, saying its teams were “unaware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, as seen in the footage” and that it was “unacceptable” that a “false recovery” was being staged. Hamas has yet to publicly address the matter.
Matt Bradley, Paul Goldman and Omer Bekin contributed.
