The prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to launch without delay fierce attacks on Gauzeaccusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire that has been in effect since Oct. 10, according to a statement from his office.
After an emergency security meeting, the prime minister’s office clarified that Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli Armed Forces to carry out “immediate heavy attacks on Gaza”. At present no further information has been given on the extent or objectives of the operations.
The decision came shortly after the attack on Israeli forces in the southern Gaza Strip and amid strong backlash in Israel following fresh violations of the ceasefire by Hamas involving the handing over of bodies of hostages, according to the Times of Israel.
Hamas postpones delivery of body of Israeli hostage
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced it was postponing the handover of the Israeli hostage’s body scheduled for 20:00, citing “violations by the occupation”. Earlier, the group said it found the body in a tunnel in the southern part of the Gaza Strip during a search operation.
The statement stressed that any Israeli escalation could hinder the search for the bodies and delay their handover.