Israel Retaliates With Massive Airstrikes After Hamas Shoots at Soldiers, Terrorists Suddenly ‘Find’ Murdered Hostage

Hamas terrorists fired on Israeli forces in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Sunday morning, an attack the IDF says included RPGs and sniper fire against soldiers positioned along the yellow line. Israel is responding with a series of airstrikes on terror targets, both at the site of the shooting, Khan Younis and parts of Nuseirat, an area previously not touched due to hostages being held there.

“In the wake of repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement and the criminal attack carried out by Hamas terror elements this morning, the IDF will respond with great force against terror infrastructure and Hamas elements,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee warned, adding: “The IDF reiterates its warning: For your safety and due to the ongoing airstrikes, remain only on the west side of the yellow line,” and attaching a map showing the areas in Gaza under IDF control. The IDF also issued an urgent warning to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to avoid entering areas under Israeli control and not to approach Israeli troops.

The IDF stated that it is “now attacking an underground route that was used by the Hamas terror organization in the past to hold hostages.”

As the IDF pummeled Hamas, the terrorists said they had suddenly “found” another murdered hostage and offered to hand over the body if Israel eases operations. “We will transfer the body today if the conditions on the ground are suitable,” the group said, adding that “any Zionist escalation will complicate the search and digging operations and the recovery of the bodies, which will lead to a delay in the occupation’s receipt of the bodies.”

The attack prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tell the IDF and the security services “to take firm action against terror targets in the Gaza Strip,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Netanyahu gave the instruction during a meeting with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, the PMO said.

According to a military source who spoke with Channel 12, more than 100 targets have been struck so far since the attack in Rafah on Sunday morning.

“Hamas will learn today the hard way that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and to prevent any harm to them,” Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, adding that he has instructed the IDF to “act forcefully against Hamas terror targets in Gaza.” Katz warned: “Hamas will pay a heavy price for any shooting and violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood, the intensity of the responses will increase.”

While President Trump informed Hamas terrorists he would forcibly remove them from power in Gaza if they do not disarm and step away themselves, saying, “At a certain point, if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, then we’ll have to do it for them,” the US is reportedly demanding restraint from Israel. According to Channel 12, the Israel was cautioned to “respond in Gaza proportionately – but show restraint.”

US mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump advisor Jared Kushner spoke with Minister Ron Dermer about the situation and urged him that Israel respond in a calculated manner and avoid a response that could collapse the continuation of the Trump plan, according to journalist Danny Zaken.

According to journalist Barak Ravid, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are working with Hamas in an attempt to prevent further escalation in Gaza.

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported that the target of one Israeli strike in central Gaza earlier on Sunday was Yahya al-Mabhouh, described as a commander in the Nukhba forces, the elite unit of Hamas’ military wing, in northern Gaza. Al-Mabhouh’s name appeared earlier in Palestinian reports as one of six people killed in a strike west of Deir al-Balah.

The strikes on Nuseirat and Khan Younis are notable because the IDF largely avoided targeting Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza during the war due to Hamas holding living hostages there. Hamas last week released all 20 remaining living captives.

Hamas terrorists’ military wing denied responsibility for the Rafah incident, saying it had no connection to the attack and asserting it was committed by operatives not following orders. “We are committed to the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip,” the military wing’s statement reads. “We have no information about incidents or clashes that took place in the Rafah area, which is under occupation control.” The statement added that “our connection with the groups located there has been severed since last March. We have no link to any events occurring in that area and we have no way to communicate with our fighters there, if any of them are still alive.”