Israeli planes strike Gaza City after Netanyahu orders 'powerful attacks' • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

Gaza Strip Air Attack: Israeli missile strikes launched into the Gaza Strip.
Hospital Area Targeting: Specific mention of an area around a hospital in northern Gaza being targeted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Order: The directive for "powerful strikes" issued by the Israeli Prime Minister.
Hostage Handover: The exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Ceasefire (October 10th): An agreement tied to the handover of Israeli hostages.
Hamas's Claims: Hamas stating it's impossible to locate remaining dead bodies due to Israeli bombing damage.
Red Cross and Egyptian Involvement: Assistance in searching for hostages under rubble.
Palestinian Casualties: Over 68,000 estimated killed by Israeli bombardment.
October 7th Hamas Attack: Hamas's attack on southern Israel, resulting in 1,200 civilian deaths and 250 kidnappings.
Israeli Soldier Deaths: Another reason cited by Netanyahu for the strikes.
Palestinian Deaths Since Truce: 93 Palestinians killed by Israel since the October 10th truce.
"Yellow Zone": An area in Gaza under Israeli control.
Hamas Attack on Yellow Zone: A surprise strike by Hamas on Israeli soldiers in the yellow zone, killing two.
Hamas Staging Hostage Remains: Allegations of Hamas staging the burial of hostage remains and involving the Red Cross.
Hostage Remains Identification: Remains handed over not matching current hostages but an Israeli civilian killed almost two years ago.
Israeli Intelligence Sharing: Israel providing intelligence to the US, CIA, Egyptian intelligence, and Turks regarding hostage locations.

Israeli Air Attack on Gaza Strip

An air attack has been launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, with missiles reportedly fired into the territory for over an hour. Local reports confirm that the area around a hospital in the north of Gaza is being targeted, with at least three air strikes carried out. These strikes include hits on Gaza City, as confirmed by Israeli sources.

Netanyahu's Justification for Strikes

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered these "powerful strikes" in response to the latest handover of dead Israeli hostages by Hamas. The remains handed over the previous night are believed to belong to a hostage taken two years ago, with part of the corpse already in Israeli possession.

Ceasefire and Hostage Negotiations

The ceasefire, initiated on October 10th, is contingent upon the handover of all Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and related groups in Gaza. Hamas claims it is currently impossible to locate the 12 remaining dead bodies due to the extensive damage caused by Israeli bombing. The search for these hostages under rubble is being conducted by the Red Cross with Egyptian assistance, and some limited Hamas personnel have been permitted by Israel to participate.

Palestinian Casualties and Context

In contrast, there is no similar operation to recover the estimated thousands of missing and presumed dead on the Palestinian side. The transcript states that over 68,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's "revenge bombardment." The context provided is the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 civilians and the kidnapping of 250 individuals.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also cited the deaths of Israeli soldiers in Gaza as a reason for the strikes. However, the transcript notes that while this is factual, it does not acknowledge that Israel's military has killed as many as 93 Palestinians since the truce was called on October 10th.

Analysis of the Ceasefire and Strikes

Jordana Miller, ABC News correspondent in Jerusalem, provides further analysis. She does not believe the order for strikes signifies an immediate end to the ceasefire but rather indicates "bumps on this tough road" towards stabilizing Gaza.

Reasons for Netanyahu's Directive

Miller outlines two main reasons for the Israeli Prime Minister's directive for powerful strikes:

Hamas's Alleged Delays: Accusations that Hamas is delaying the return of the 13 missing hostage bodies in Gaza.
Attack on the "Yellow Zone": A more critical reason is an attack that occurred that day on an Israeli position in the "yellow zone." This zone is described as the area under Israeli control from the yellow line, east, north, and south, and is supposed to be fully under Israeli control.

Miller recalls a Hamas surprise strike on Israeli soldiers in this zone over a week prior, which killed two and caused the first major flare-up in the ceasefire. The attack on that day is seen as having triggered this second round of air strikes. While official confirmation is pending, it is highly likely that soldiers were killed in the attack, explaining the intensity of the current strikes, which were first reported in central Gaza and Gaza City and are expected to continue.

Allegations of Hamas Staging Hostage Remains

The strikes also follow an incident where an Israeli surveillance camera reportedly captured Hamas staging the burial of hostage remains and then inviting the Red Cross to witness it, described as a "theater show." The remains handed over were not positively identified as belonging to any of the 13 remaining Israeli hostages. Instead, they were matched to an Israeli civilian who was returned almost two years ago. This is reportedly the third instance of Hamas turning over remains of this specific Israeli civilian, who was kidnapped and killed from the Nova Music Festival.

Israeli Perspective on Hamas's Actions

Israel believes Hamas is attempting to prolong phase one of the deal. Despite Hamas's claims of not knowing the whereabouts of the bodies, Israel asserts it has shared intelligence with the Americans, CIA, Egyptian intelligence, and the Turks. Israel views these actions as a "stunt" and questions Hamas's claims of ignorance regarding the bodies' locations, especially if the video of the staging is accurate.