At least 104 people, including 46 children, have been killed overnight in Gaza after Israel launched new strikes, hospital officials have said.
It comes after Israel claimed a soldier was killed on Tuesday afternoon by “enemy fire”.
They are the deadliest strikes since the ceasefire agreement took hold earlier this month.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that the ceasefire had been reinstated following a series of operations in which it targeted what it described as “terror sites and terrorists” inside Gaza.
In response, Hamas said it would delay handing over the body of another hostage.
Israel said the strikes hit “30 terrorists holding command positions within terrorist organisations” operating in the enclave.
The military added that Israeli forces would continue to honour the ceasefire agreement but would respond “firmly” to any breaches.
US President Donald Trump justified the strikes, saying that Israel had the right to launch them following what he described as an incident in which Hamas allegedly killed an Israeli soldier during an exchange of gunfire in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.
Hamas has denied responsibility for the shooting and, in turn, accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
Women and children among the dead
Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, reported that 21 bodies were received from the recent strikes, among them seven women and six children.
He added that the death toll is likely to rise, as many of the 45 people wounded and brought to the hospital remain in critical condition, including 20 children.
The Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, has said at least 10 bodies – three women and six children among them – arrived overnight following two Israeli airstrikes in the area.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, said it received 20 bodies after five Israeli attacks, including 13 children and two women.
In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital reported receiving 30 bodies, including 14 children.
Mr Netanyahu ordered the strikes after an Israeli official reported that troops had come under fire in southern Gaza.
The decision also followed Hamas’s handover on Monday of body parts that Israel said belonged to a hostage whose remains were partly recovered earlier in the conflict.
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Mourners attend the funeral of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes. Pic: Reuters
The Israeli prime minister described the return of the body parts as a “clear violation” of the ceasefire deal, which obliges Hamas to release the remaining hostages in Gaza as soon as possible.
Israeli authorities further accused Hamas of orchestrating the discovery of the remains, releasing a 14-minute edited drone video from Gaza as evidence.
Trump confident the ceasefire would hold
Two US officials have said Israel notified Washington before carrying out the strikes on Tuesday.
Mr Trump told reporters on Wednesday that Israel “should hit back” when its soldiers come under attack.
However, he expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold despite the surge in violence
“Hamas represents only a small part of the broader Middle East peace process, and they must act responsibly,” he said, adding that if they don’t, they would be “terminated”.
An Israeli military official said the soldier was killed on Tuesday afternoon when “enemy fire” struck his vehicle. The soldier was identified as Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37.
The official said troops in the area were repeatedly attacked on Tuesday while working to dismantle tunnels and Hamas infrastructure.
Hamas has denied any role in the Rafah shooting and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.
