Israel resuming ceasefire after strikes in Gaza kill 104 : NPR

DAIR AL-BALA, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military said Wednesday that the ceasefire in Gaza had been renewed after it launched heavy airstrikes into the Palestinian territory overnight that killed 104 people, including 46 children, according to local health officials.

The strikes – the deadliest since the ceasefire began on October 10 – were the most serious challenge to the fragile truce to date.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes after accusing Hamas of violating a ceasefire over this week's transfer of body parts that Israel said were partial remains of a hostage found earlier in the war. The situation was worsened by the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier during a shootout in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city.

US President Donald Trump defended the strikes during a trip to Asia, saying Israel had the right to carry them out after Hamas killed an Israeli soldier who also had US citizenship.

Hamas has denied any involvement in the deadly shooting and has in turn accused Israel of “blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement.” He also said he would delay handing over the body of another hostage to Israel because of the strikes.

Trade charges

Netanyahu called Monday's return of the body parts a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return all remains of hostages in the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of faking the discovery of some of the remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute edited video from a military drone in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Hamas was responsible for the consequences of the ceasefire violation and attributed the high death toll in the strikes to the militant group using civilians as human shields.

Marmorstein said Washington was informed of the strikes and that they were carried out in full coordination with the United States.

Hamas said it was struggling to recover the hostages' bodies amid massive destruction in the Gaza Strip, while Israel accused the militant group of deliberately delaying their return.

There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza, and their slow return is complicating efforts to move to the next phases of the ceasefire, which address even more pressing issues including disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international security forces in Gaza and a decision on who will govern the territory.

Marmorstein said Hamas is “trying to do everything possible to avoid” disarmament.

The death toll is rising

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the total death toll from the overnight strikes was 104 and said 253 people were also injured, most of them women and children. According to the department, 46 children were among the dead.

Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, said 45 people, including 20 children, were in critical condition at the hospital. According to him, 21 more corpses were admitted to the hospital, including seven women and six children.

First, Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah reported at least 10 bodies, including three women and six children. In the south of the Gaza Strip, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis reported that after five Israeli strikes in the area it received 20 bodies, of which 13 were children and two women.

Elsewhere in central Gaza, Al-Auda hospital said it had received 30 bodies, including 14 children.

Trump defends Israel

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Israel “must hit back” when its troops come under attack.

But he said he remained confident the ceasefire would withstand escalating violence because “Hamas is a very small part of overall peace in the Middle East. And they must behave well.”

Otherwise, they will be “terminated,” Trump added.

An Israeli military official said Wednesday that a soldier in Rafah, identified as Staff Sgt. Jonah Ephraim Feldbaum, 37, died when “hostile fire” struck his vehicle Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, said Israeli troops in the area came under repeated attacks Tuesday as they worked to destroy Hamas tunnels and infrastructure.

Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah attack, reaffirmed its commitment to a ceasefire and called on mediators to pressure Israel to cease fire.

The Israeli military said its forces struck “30 terrorists holding command positions in terrorist organizations” operating in Palestine. The statement said Israeli forces would continue to observe the ceasefire but would “react firmly” to any violation of the agreement.

Funeral prayers in Gaza hospitals

Ambulances and small trucks carrying bodies filled hospital entrances throughout the Gaza Strip throughout the night. In Deir el-Balah, bodies were brought in on stretchers, while others were carried on mattresses. One man walked into the hospital with the body of a small child.

“They hit right next to us and we saw all the debris on us and our children,” said a woman standing outside the hospital.

At dawn, displaced Palestinians in the camp cleared away the remains of a collapsed tent next to the crater that had been hit. They found the body of a small child and wrapped him in a blanket.

“What kind of ceasefire is this?” Amna Krinavi stated this.

At Al Auda Hospital, dozens of people gathered around dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds for funeral prayers. Family members cried as they said goodbye to their loved ones.

Yehya Eid, who said he had lost a brother and nephews, mourned the small body in a bloody white shroud outside the hospital. He said the strike happened without warning.

“These are murdered children. What did they do wrong? Did they fight in the war? – Id asked.

Funeral prayers were also held outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

“This is mass murder,” said Haneen Mtair, who lost her sister and nephews. “They burned children while they slept.”

Najwa Erian said she was lucky her children survived when their house collapsed in one of the strikes.

“This happened thanks to young people from the area who came to see us and were able to save the children,” she said.