**Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Orders “Powerful” Airstrikes on Gaza, Jeopardizing Fragile Ceasefire**
*NBC News* | October 28, 2025 | By Omer Bekin and Mirna Alsharif
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to carry out “powerful” airstrikes on Gaza as of Tuesday, a move that threatens to undermine the fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States.
“Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip immediately,” his office said in an official statement.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official indicated that this directive was in response to an alleged attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soldiers in Rafah, an area under Israeli control. NBC News has not independently verified this report. The official did not confirm whether airstrikes would be launched on Tuesday night.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding this development.
Airstrikes were reported by Al Jazeera in east Deir al-Balah and the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, local time.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu addressed the status of hostages. He stated that remains returned by Hamas overnight belonged to a different hostage who had been recovered by Israeli troops in Gaza nearly two years ago. Under the terms of the truce agreed upon on October 10, Hamas is expected to return all Israeli hostage remains as soon as possible.
Netanyahu’s decision comes only weeks after Israel and Hamas agreed to the ceasefire. The deal included an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees, raising hopes that hostilities between the two sides would come to an end.
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**TOPICS:** Gaza, Israel
**KEYWORDS:** ceasefire, airstrikes, Netanyahu, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces
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*Reader Comments:*
– *DFG:* So much for the ceasefire.
– *butlerweave (Fateh):* Hopefully they now know all the Hamas hiding locations.
– *faithhopecharity:* Is Bibi going to let IDF get the job done this time or is he just going to shuffle things around, drop a few bombs on empty buildings, and proclaim victory like he always does? The IDF needs to be unleashed to win; all this playing patsy with terrorist gangs is ridiculous.
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*Disclaimer:* Opinions posted by readers do not necessarily reflect those of NBC News or its management. All content is protected by copyright.
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