Israel Strikes Gaza After Hamas Ceasefire Breach

The IDF has intensified its strikes across Gaza after Hamas fired at soldiers in the southern part of the enclave on Tuesday evening, according to Palestinian reports.

It struck in the area of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, per Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the hospital’s director-general.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF struck infrastructure Hamas was using in southern Gaza after members of the terrorist group fired at soldiers, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed.

Hamas also fired at and launched an anti-tank missile at military troops in Rafah, marking an additional ceasefire violation by the terrorist organization.

“The response to [Hamas’s] current violations will be much more significant than the response last time,” an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

In order to prevent Hamas from further endangering soldiers on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, the IDF was now returning fire, according to one military source.

Meanwhile, following a situational assessment with the approval of Defense Minister Israel Katz, the security restrictions that the IDF has put in place in the Gaza border communities ever since Hamas’s October 7 massacre have been lifted.

Katz: Hamas will pay heavy price for crossing red line by attacking IDF

In a statement released by his office on Tuesday, the defense minister said that Hamas will “pay a heavy price” for crossing a red line by attacking IDF troops and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the remaining hostages.

Attacking IDF soldiers constituted “crossing a bright red line,” and the IDF will “respond with great force,” Katz said, adding, “Hamas will pay with compound interest.”

“Hamas will bear responsibility and pay a heavy price if it does not fulfill its commitments,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said.

“Many challenges still await us. The war is not over yet,” he continued.

Hamas claims Israeli strike killed two, injured four

The Hamas-run civil defense unit said that at least two people were killed and four others were wounded by an Israeli strike south of Gaza City on Tuesday.

The terrorist organization denied responsibility for the attack on IDF soldiers, saying in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire.

Israel weighing five options should Hamas fail to return hostage remains

That said, Israel was weighing five different options should Hamas fail to deliver the remaining hostages, Israeli security officials said on Monday.

The options being considered by the state include extending operational control, targeted escalation, hostage-remains-retrieval operations, diplomatic pressure, and ending existing agreements.

Hamas is capable of returning a double-digit number of deceased hostages’ remains. It is not making enough effort to return the remains despite knowing their burial locations, an Israeli source told public broadcaster KAN News two weeks ago.

On its part, the terrorist group has repeated that it cannot locate all the hostages in the Gaza Strip, saying as recently as earlier on Tuesday evening that it has already handed over all the hostages it could access.

Locating the remaining bodies would require extensive efforts and special equipment, the terrorist group claimed.