Israel kills nine after Hamas 'sends back wrong hostage remains'
Mr Netanyahu accused Hamas of a "violation" of the ceasefire by releasing the remains of a hostage already recovered by troops
Nine people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered "powerful" attacks on the territory, sparking fears for the future of the ceasefire deal.
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Explosions and tank fire were heard in Gaza City and Deir al Balah shortly after Israel announced that it planned to carry out strikes.
Strikes have been reported at a refugee camp, the al-Shifa Hospital, and a home.
Gaza's local health authorities, run by Hamas, reports that four people were killed in Sabra district and five died in a car in Khan Younis.
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The strikes were ordered by Netanyahu as he said that the remains of Ofir Tzarfati had been identified and returned by Hamas, but his remains had previously been brought back from the Gaza Strip in a military operation.
His office said this was a "clear violation of the agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization."
It went on to say that Mr Netanyahu would be holding discussions to determine next steps.
A statement from his office said: "Following the security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip immediately."
US Vice President JD Vance has said that the ceasefire "is holding".
He told reporters: "The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there.
"We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an [Israeli military] soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president’s peace is going to hold despite that."
Hamas released all the living Israeli hostages after 738 days in captivity earlier in October as the ceasefire came into effect.
The bodies of 13 hostages are thought to still be in Gaza.
The first stage of the ceasefire deal, orchestrated by Donald Trump, saw 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for the Israeli captives, who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that restrictions placed on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip have been lifted after more than two years.
The restrictions, declared on October 7 2023, put limits on the size of gatherings.
In a statement published on Telegram, Hamas said: "The Israeli occupation has committed 125 violations of the ceasefire resolution since its entry into force, resulting in the martyrdom of 94 civilians and the injury of more than 344 others.
"We condemn in the strongest terms these repeated aggressive violations and hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for their humanitarian and security repercussions."
The organisation went on to call on US President Donald Trump, and other states, to "assume their responsibilities and exert real pressure" on Israel to adhere to the ceasefire.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire deal came into effect on October 10, hundreds of aid lorries have been allowed to enter Gaza each day.
A previous blockade on aid deliveries led UN-backed experts to confirm a famine in Gaza back in August.
Mr Trump is currently in Japan where he signed a framework agreement for “securing” supplies of critical minerals and rare earths with the nation's prime minister Sanae Takaichi.
The US and Japan plan to cooperate through the use of economic policy tools and coordinated investment of critical minerals and rare earths, a White House statement said.
Mr Trump has yet to comment on the latest development with Israel and Hamas.