At least 50 people were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to the territory’s civil defence agency, raising fears that the fragile US-brokered ceasefire may be collapsing.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal called the bombings “a clear and flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” accusing Israel of targeting tents for displaced families, homes, and areas near hospitals.
He said 22 children, several women, and elderly people were among the dead, while around 200 others were injured.
Despite the devastation, US President Donald Trump insisted during his Asia trip that “nothing” would jeopardize the truce he personally brokered.
“They killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back.
And they should hit back,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, defending Israel’s latest strikes.
The Israeli military launched the attacks late Tuesday after accusing Hamas fighters of violating the ceasefire by firing on troops in Rafah, killing 37-year-old soldier Yona Efraim Feldbaum.
The army claimed Hamas militants also fired several anti-tank missiles at armored vehicles nearby.
Hamas, however, denied involvement in the attack, saying it remained committed to the ceasefire.
Hospitals across Gaza reported new casualties.
Al-Shifa Hospital said one strike hit its backyard, while Al-Awda Hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of four children from the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Residents said the renewed bombardment shattered their brief sense of peace.
“We had just started to breathe again,” said Khadija al-Husni, a mother sheltering in the Al-Shati refugee camp.
“It’s a crime. Either there is a truce or a war it can’t be both.”
The violence has deepened tensions around the hostage exchange deal that forms part of the truce.
Hamas announced it would delay handing over another hostage body, citing the “escalation” and ongoing air raids.
Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to return Palestinian bodies in exchange for the remains of deceased Israeli hostages.
But disagreements over missing hostages have fueled mistrust on both sides.
Hamas said it recently found the bodies of two hostages but did not specify when they would be returned.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials accused Hamas of staging a fake discovery by handing over partial remains of someone previously buried in Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged Israel to act “decisively” against Hamas’s alleged violations, while Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem maintained that ongoing Israeli bombings had made locating remains difficult.The ceasefire, implemented on October 10, 2025, had briefly paused two years of relentless fighting.
But fresh violence has reignited fears that Gaza could return to all-out war.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s offensive since 2023 has killed over 68,000 Palestinians, while Hamas’s initial October 7, 2023 attack left 1,221 Israelis dead.
On the ground, residents like Jalal Abbas said they feared the worst.
“Israel always finds an excuse,” he said. “Every day they threaten to bring back the war.”