Netanyahu orders Gaza strikes after alleged Hamas ceasefire violations

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said he ordered the Israeli military to conduct immediate and forceful strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu made the decision after consultations with security advisers, his office said.

What prompted the order? The move came after Hamas militants allegedly opened fire on Israeli troops in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday. The troops returned fire, an Israeli military official anonymously told the Associated Press. Hamas terrorists and Israeli troops have exchanged fire multiple times since the tenuous ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

Netanyahu’s office also said on Tuesday that it received partial remains belonging to hostage Ofir Tzarfati. Since Israel already recovered partial remains from Tzarfati in a military operation two years ago, and Hamas returned more of his remains last year, Israel deemed the repeated returns a violation of the ceasefire agreement, the prime minister’s office said.

Dig deeper: Read Esther Arnusch’s report on an Israeli grassroots movement seeking common ground in the face of adversity.