Ceasefire Crumbling: Netanyahu Orders “Forceful” Gaza Strikes After IDF Comes Under Fire
The fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to be unraveling after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered immediate “forceful” military strikes in Gaza on Tuesday. The decision came in response to gunfire targeting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops stationed near Rafah — a direct violation of the Trump-brokered October 9 ceasefire.
“Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu has directed the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” his office confirmed in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Ceasefire Violations and Escalating Tensions
The renewed Israeli strikes mark the first major military response since the historic hostage deal was signed under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Under that agreement, Hamas pledged to hand over all remaining hostages — both living and deceased — and cease all attacks against Israeli forces. According to Israeli officials, that promise has been repeatedly broken.
Instead of full compliance, Hamas has withheld the bodies of slain hostages and manipulated the situation for propaganda purposes. The IDF released video footage earlier Tuesday showing Hamas operatives re-burying remains to stage a “false discovery” for media coverage. The Israeli military says the footage proves Hamas is deliberately violating the agreement while using the deceased as leverage.
Rafah Attack Triggers Israeli Response
Tuesday’s escalation began when militants opened fire on IDF forces in Rafah. While Israel has not yet publicly confirmed whether Hamas or another Gaza-based terrorist group carried out the attack, the IDF has previously held Hamas responsible for violence in the region — including a deadly attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers.
In retaliation for that earlier incident, the IDF struck what it described as “six kilometers of underground terrorist infrastructure” beneath Gaza. This latest round of strikes could go further — especially with Netanyahu now moving the so-called “Yellow Line,” expanding the buffer zone and extending Israeli military control within Gaza’s borders.
Hamas Responds by Threatening Hostage Deal
In a retaliatory move, Hamas has announced it will withhold the body of another hostage scheduled to be transferred to Israel Tuesday, further jeopardizing the Trump-era ceasefire.
The group has repeatedly claimed difficulties locating remains — even as evidence mounts that it is intentionally hiding or relocating the bodies for political and media manipulation. The IDF called out Hamas’s deception directly, saying the terrorist group is “holding and manipulating the remains it refuses to release under the agreement.”
Trump: “They’ll Have a Very Big Problem”
President Trump, whose administration brokered the original ceasefire deal, warned last week that Hamas would face serious consequences if the violence in Gaza continued.
“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” Trump wrote bluntly on October 16 after Hamas reportedly executed civilians. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
While Trump made clear that U.S. forces would not directly participate in military operations, the administration established a command center in Israel shortly after the ceasefire went into effect to monitor compliance and coordinate with Israeli forces.
Where It Stands Now
With Hamas refusing to release remains, resuming attacks on Israeli troops, and backtracking on its ceasefire commitments, Israel appears to be shifting back into full operational mode.
Netanyahu’s order to strike is the clearest sign yet that the peace agreement is in serious jeopardy — and that if Hamas continues down this path, the next phase of the conflict may not just be measured in limited strikes, but in overwhelming force.
As Trump himself warned, “That was not the Deal.”