Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to break the ceasefire and carry out strikes in Gaza. Here is how today’s developments unfolded, according to statements from both sides and local reports.

Today’s sequence of events

1. Rafah gunfire and blasts

   Reports emerged about an hour ago of heavy gunfire and explosions in Rafah in southern Gaza. The circumstances remain unclear and have not been independently verified.

2. Row over returned remains

   Israel accused Hamas of misidentifying the most recently returned captive’s remains, saying they belonged to an abductee whose body was recovered two years ago.

3. Prime minister weighs next steps

   Mr Netanyahu said he was deciding on next steps after the handover of remains that Israel says had already been recovered, signalling a hardening stance as the day progressed.

4. Claims of staged handovers

   Israeli officials said Hamas had staged the return of bodies and cited what they described as drone footage showing remains being moved and reburied in order for the Red Cross to witness a retrieval.

5. Hamas alleges obstruction

   Hamas said Israel was obstructing efforts to recover the bodies of Israeli captives by blocking the entry of heavy machinery into Gaza and restricting access for search teams, including personnel from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

6. Planned handover postponed

   Hamas said it would return the body of another Israeli captive at 20:00 local time 18:00 GMT after the remains were found inside a tunnel in Gaza. The handover was later postponed following Mr Netanyahu’s announcement of an imminent powerful strike.

The exchanges over the handling of remains have deepened mistrust during an already fragile truce. Israeli officials frame the day’s incidents as proof of serious breaches by Hamas, while Hamas accuses Israel of bad faith and of undermining recovery operations. The decision to resume strikes raises the risk that the ceasefire framework will collapse, with immediate consequences for humanitarian access and any further exchanges.