The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday morning reaffirmed its commitment to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, which had been jeopardized after a deadly Hamas attack on Israeli forces the previous day prompted retaliatory strikes.
“Following a series of significant strikes in which dozens of terror targets and terrorists were attacked, the IDF has begun renewed enforcement of the agreement after its violation by the Hamas terror organization,” the military said.
As part of its retaliation, the IDF said it targeted more than 30 high-ranking commanders of various terrorist groups operating in Gaza.
“The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it,” the statement added.
Later Wednesday, the army said it had hit “key terrorists, observation posts, weapons production warehouses, launch posts, underground tunnels and mortar shell firing posts” in response to the violation.
Among the eliminated terror operatives were several who had infiltrated Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including Muhammad Isa, who served as the commander of a Nukhba Force platoon; Fawwaz ‘Uwayda, the commander of a Nukhba terrorist cell; and two members of the Islamist Mujahideen Brigades terror organization, the IDF said.
In one strike, the IDF eliminated terrorist Hatem Maher Mousa Qudra, a Nukhba company commander from Khan Yunis who led the assault on Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha during the massacre, according to the military.
“The IDF and [Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet] will continue to respond firmly and act decisively to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel,” it added.
IDF Master Sgt. (res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum was killed in southern Gaza on Tuesday. According to Israel’s Army Radio, he was killed when enemy fire struck his bulldozer during operations in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, which remains under IDF control under the terms of the ceasefire.
Minutes after the initial shooting, anti-tank missiles were fired at an armored IDF vehicle, though no further casualties were reported.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced Tuesday night that, following a security briefing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to “carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, voiced support for Netanyahu’s response to Hamas’s truce violation.
“They killed an Israeli soldier, so the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back,” Trump said.
The president emphasized that the “skirmish” did not endanger the ceasefire.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “dozens of Hamas commanders were thwarted in a powerful IDF operation since yesterday, in response to the attack on IDF soldiers and the blatant violation of the agreement.”
According to the defense minister, “there is and will be no immunity for anyone from the leadership of the terror organization—neither those wearing suits nor those hiding in the tunnels.”
“Whoever raises his hand against IDF soldiers, his hand will be severed,” Katz added. “The IDF has been instructed to act forcefully against any Hamas target, and so it will be in the future. Whoever attacks IDF soldiers and violates agreements will pay the full price.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a key member of Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition representing the Otzma Yehudit party, criticized the military’s response and the decision to return to a ceasefire.
“Once again, Hamas murders one of our soldiers during a ‘ceasefire,’ and once again, the prime minister chooses to conclude the incident with the concept of a ‘measured response’ and an immediate return to the ceasefire, while continuing to allow ‘humanitarian’ aid, instead of returning to full-scale war and striving to quickly achieve its primary goal: the destruction of Hamas,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X Wednesday.
“I remind the prime minister of his commitment to achieving all the war’s objectives. If he decides to abandon the goal of dismantling Hamas and settles for lip service of ‘victory’ and a superficial dismantling, while continuing to uphold the Oct. 6 policy and effectively preserving Hamas—the government will have no right to exist.”
