Ceasefire restored after Israeli strikes kill 104 in Gaza, including 46 children

Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip): Israel said Wednesday that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza was back in effect after its military carried out a series of heavy overnight airstrikes that killed at least 104 people, including 46 children, according to Palestinian health officials. The attacks, the deadliest since the truce began on October 10, marked the most severe test of the ceasefire so far.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to what he described as violations of the ceasefire by Hamas. He accused the group of returning partial remains of a hostage earlier in the week and of being responsible for the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.

“The return of body parts was a clear violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said, adding that the deal required Hamas to return all remains of hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the recovery of some remains, releasing a 14-minute edited video taken by a military drone to support their claim.

An Israeli military official identified the slain soldier as Master Sgt Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, who was killed when his vehicle came under “enemy fire” on Tuesday. The official, speaking anonymously, said Israeli troops had been working to destroy Hamas tunnels and infrastructure when they were attacked.

Hamas denied any involvement in the Rafah shooting, calling Israel’s airstrikes a “blatant violation of the ceasefire deal.” It also said it would delay the handover of another hostage’s body in protest. “We are committed to the ceasefire,” the group said, “but Israel must be held accountable for these attacks.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Hamas bore full responsibility for the consequences of the escalation. He said the strikes were carried out “in full coordination with the United States” and blamed Hamas for the high civilian death toll, claiming it used residents as human shields.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 253 people were wounded in the overnight bombardment, most of them women and children. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, said 45 people, including 20 children, were in critical condition. “We received 21 bodies overnight, among them seven women and six children,” he said. Hospitals across the enclave reported similar scenes of devastation.

At Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, 10 bodies were brought in, including six children and three women. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 20 bodies, of which 13 were children, while Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza reported 30 deaths, including 14 children.

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during a trip to Asia, defended Israel’s response. “When your soldiers are killed, you hit back,” he said. Trump added that he believed the ceasefire would hold, calling Hamas “a very small part of the overall Middle East peace” and warning that if the group did not “behave,” it would be “terminated.”

The Israeli military said its forces targeted “30 terrorists holding command positions within terrorist organisations” inside Gaza and would “respond firmly” to any future violations.

Meanwhile, grim scenes unfolded outside Gaza’s hospitals as families searched for loved ones. Ambulances and trucks crowded entrances while residents carried bodies wrapped in blankets and white shrouds.

“They struck right next to us,” said a woman outside Deir al-Balah’s hospital. “We saw rubble on top of us and our young ones.”

At Al-Awda Hospital, mourners gathered for funeral prayers over dozens of bodies. Yehya Eid, who lost his brother and nephews, wept beside a child’s body wrapped in a bloodied shroud. “These are children,” he said. “What did they do wrong?”

In Khan Younis, Haneen Mteir, who lost her sister and nephews, called the strikes “massacres.” Another resident, Najwa Erian, said her family narrowly survived when their building collapsed. “It was thanks to the young men from the neighbourhood,” she said. “They saved the children.”

Despite the violence, Israeli officials said the ceasefire remained in place. But with 13 hostages’ bodies still unreturned and both sides trading accusations, the fragile truce faces mounting uncertainty.