The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered under the auspices of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has come under its greatest strain yet after a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and mounting accusations of violations from both sides. The events of October 28, 2025, mark a dangerous turning point in the ongoing conflict, with fears rising that the war-devastated enclave could once again be plunged into full-scale violence.
According to Al Jazeera, at least nine people were killed in multiple Israeli strikes across northern and southern Gaza on Tuesday, following orders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military operations. Hospital sources reported four Palestinians dead in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City and another five in Khan Younis, with at least 15 others injured throughout the territory. The strikes came after Netanyahu claimed that Hamas had violated the U.S.-brokered ceasefire by failing to return the remains of Israeli hostages as agreed.
The situation escalated dramatically when a missile landed behind al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, causing panic among patients and medical staff. Hani Mahmoud, reporting for Al Jazeera, described the strike as "massive," noting that even from 20 minutes away, the explosion could be heard clearly. "The attack caused a state of mayhem and panic among patients and medical staff inside the hospital," Mahmoud reported.
Despite the violence, U.S. Vice President JD Vance maintained that the ceasefire was technically still holding, albeit tenuously. "The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there," Vance told reporters, as cited by Al Jazeera. He acknowledged that both sides had accused each other of violations, but expressed hope that "the president’s peace is going to hold despite that." U.S. officials confirmed to The Associated Press that Israel had notified Washington prior to launching the latest strikes.
The immediate trigger for the renewed hostilities appears to be a dispute over the return of hostages' remains. Netanyahu’s office stated that Hamas had committed a "clear violation" of the ceasefire by returning remains of a captive whose body had already been retrieved by Israeli forces nearly two years ago. In response, Netanyahu ordered the military to "immediately carry out powerful strikes" following consultations with security officials.
Hamas, for its part, denied any wrongdoing. Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera, "We have made every effort possible to recover the bodies, and the occupation bears full responsibility for any delay in recovering the remaining bodies." He also rejected Israeli claims of Hamas involvement in a shooting attack in Rafah, which Israel used to justify its latest round of airstrikes. Hamas further accused Israel of "flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh under the auspices of U.S. President Trump."
The group’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced that it would postpone the handover of another Israeli captive’s body, citing Israeli violations. "We confirm that any Zionist escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies, which will lead to a delay in the occupation's recovery of the bodies of its dead," the Qassam Brigades said in a statement, as reported by Axios.
The violence spread rapidly on Tuesday, with reports of gunfire and artillery shelling in Rafah near the Egyptian border and in eastern Khan Younis. According to Al Jazeera, at least one Israeli soldier was injured during exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. The ongoing hostilities have led to fears that the already strained ceasefire could collapse entirely, plunging Gaza’s embattled population back into war.
Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has been working to stabilize the ceasefire, establishing a U.S. command center in Israel and dispatching top officials to monitor the situation. Axios reported that Israeli officials sought to contact Trump, who was traveling in East Asia, for approval of a military response prior to the Rafah incident. However, there is no indication that Netanyahu and Trump spoke before the strikes were ordered.
The dispute over the return of deceased hostages has been a flashpoint. Trump himself called on Hamas to "start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly," warning that "other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action" if Hamas failed to comply. While Trump acknowledged that some bodies were difficult to recover, he insisted that "others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not." Just hours before a 48-hour deadline set by Trump expired, Hamas delivered the remains of an Israeli hostage—only for Israeli officials to claim that the remains belonged to a captive whose body had already been partially recovered over a year ago.
The controversy deepened when the Israeli military released a 15-minute drone video, purportedly showing Hamas militants staging the discovery of a hostage’s body. The footage, reviewed by Axios, depicted individuals throwing a body bag into a pit, covering it with rubble, and later returning with Red Cross officials to simulate an "excavation." Israeli officials asserted that this was evidence of Hamas "cheating and making fun of both Israel and the Trump administration." The video was shared with the White House and CIA, but senior Trump administration officials reportedly did not view it as a material breach of the ceasefire and urged Israel to avoid radical actions that could jeopardize the fragile peace.
Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet responded with calls for harsh measures. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for the re-arrest of Palestinians released in previous exchanges, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the complete destruction of Hamas. Options reportedly considered included halting the already limited flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, expanding Israeli control over more of the enclave, or targeting Hamas leaders with airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-led Civil-Military Co-operation Centre has played a key role in facilitating the entry of Egyptian teams into Gaza to help recover the bodies of hostages. A U.S. official told Al Jazeera that locating the bodies of Israeli captives remained "difficult, challenging, and time-consuming."
The latest escalation has sparked intense debate within Israel and among international observers. Muhammad Shehada, an analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations, accused Netanyahu of "trying to find any trick possible to resume the genocide in Gaza," citing ongoing restrictions on aid and border closures. However, Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg suggested to Al Jazeera that the ceasefire would likely survive, given the heavy investment of the U.S. and regional partners in maintaining the deal.
For the people of Gaza, the renewed violence brings fresh devastation and uncertainty. As the ceasefire teeters on the edge, both sides continue to trade blame, and the international community watches anxiously, hoping that the hard-won peace does not unravel completely.
