TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he has directed the military to execute immediate "powerful strikes" in Gaza. This decision comes as Hamas indicated it would postpone the transfer of a hostage's remains, further straining the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

Netanyahu's order follows escalating tensions, including reports of Hamas firing on Israeli forces in southern Gaza. The Israeli government accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by not returning all Israeli hostage remains promptly. Netanyahu described the situation as a "clear violation" of the terms set forth in the ceasefire.

On Tuesday, Israeli troops faced gunfire in the southern city of Rafah, prompting them to return fire, according to an Israeli military official who requested anonymity due to the lack of an official statement. The ceasefire, which began on October 10, has mostly held, despite previous incidents of violence. On October 19, two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire, leading to Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

Currently, there are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas claimed on Tuesday that it had recovered a hostage's body, but later announced it would delay the handover after Israel's military response was made public. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis observed a white body bag being carried from a tunnel by several men, including masked militants, before being placed in an ambulance. The contents of the bag remain unclear.

The slow return of hostages' remains complicates the next phases of the ceasefire, which will address complex issues such as Hamas's disarmament, the establishment of an international security force in Gaza, and governance of the territory. Hamas has stated it is having difficulty locating the bodies amid widespread destruction in Gaza, while Israel accuses the group of intentionally delaying their return.

In response to the ongoing situation, Egypt has deployed experts and heavy equipment to assist in the search for the remaining hostages' bodies, with efforts continuing in Khan Younis and Nuseirat.

This marks the second instance since the ceasefire began that the remains returned by Hamas have raised concerns. Israel previously reported that one of the bodies returned in the first week of the ceasefire belonged to an unidentified Palestinian. In a prior ceasefire in February 2025, Hamas claimed to have returned the bodies of three hostages, but testing revealed that one was a Palestinian woman, leading to further complications.

The remains returned overnight have been identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, who was kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that initiated the current conflict. Tzarfati's family stated that this is the third time they have had to rebury their son, as his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023.

In exchange for 15 deceased hostages returned from Gaza since the ceasefire began, Israel has handed over 195 Palestinian bodies. The last 20 living hostages were returned to Israel at the start of the ceasefire, in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces reported killing three Palestinian militants during an operation in the northern West Bank. The Israeli police stated that the militants were shot as they exited a cave near Jenin, a known militant stronghold. The Israeli military claimed the militants were involved in terror activities but did not provide further details. Following the initial gunfire, an airstrike was conducted to destroy the cave.

Hamas condemned the operation in Jenin, identifying two of the deceased as members of its Qassam Brigades. The third individual was referred to as a "comrade," with no additional information provided.

Israel maintains that its military operations are aimed at curbing militant activity in the West Bank. However, Palestinians and human rights organizations report that many civilians have also been killed, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, over 68,500 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict, although the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its casualty counts. Israel has disputed these figures without offering its own death toll.