Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza is ceasefire’s latest test

Remains that could belong to a hostage are being examined by forensics experts.

- By JULIA FRANKEL AND Samy MaGpy

MILITANTS in the northern Gaza Strip with a body believed to be a hostage's.

(JEHAD ALSHRAFI Associated Press)

Israel said it launched an airstrike on a Hamas militant in southern Gaza late Wednesday in retaliation for an attack earlier in the day that wounded five Israeli soldiers.

The strike was the latest test for a fragile ceasefire that has mostly held up since early October, despite claims of violations by both Israel and Hamas. Hamas put out a statement condemning the Israeli strike in Khan Yunis.

Earlier Wednesday, Israel received remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza and said it would begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas violated the ceasefire Wednesday when, according to the army, militants emerged from an underground tunnel and attacked Israeli soldiers in an area under their control.

Israel has accused Hamas of ceasefire violations before launching previous waves of airstrikes. Strikes killed 104 people in late October and 33 people in late November, according to local health officials.

The remains found Wednesday by militants in northern Gaza were returned to Israel, where they were being examined by forensics experts. Remains militants handed over on Tuesday did not match either of the last two hostages in Gaza.

The return of all the hostages taken on the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war is a key element of the first phase of the ceasefire that began in October. In exchange, Israel has been releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Once the last hostages’ remains are returned and Israel releases more Palestinian prisoners in exchange, the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan is supposed to advance to the next phases, which call for creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and disarming Hamas.