Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest airstrikes on Gaza appear less a direct response to Hamas and more a continuation of "Israel’s" longstanding policy of manufacturing pretexts to justify genocide.

Despite initial hesitation amid US resistance, Netanyahu proceeded with the strikes after citing an alleged attack on Israeli troops in Rafah, an incident that Hamas has categorically denied.

In a statement, Hamas affirmed it had “no connection to the incident in Rafah” and reiterated its “commitment to the ceasefire agreement.” It further condemned what it called the “criminal bombardment carried out by the occupying fascist army on areas of the Gaza Strip,” describing it as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh under the auspices of President Trump.”

Hamas concluded its message by urging mediators to “take immediate action to pressure the occupying forces, curb their brutal escalation against civilians in the Gaza Strip, halt their serious violations of the ceasefire, and ensure full compliance with all its terms.”

Manufactured justification?

According to Israeli media reports, "Israel" had been prepared to escalate militarily regardless of the Rafah incident. Drone footage presented to Washington, allegedly showing Hamas fighters staging the recovery of a captive's body returned the previous night, was cited as evidence of a ceasefire breach. However, US officials reportedly did not view the footage as a clear breach and cautioned against taking “radical measures” that could risk collapsing the truce.

Meanwhile, Hamas has repeatedly informed mediators that it was struggling to recover bodies buried under tons of rubble, a result of previous Israeli airstrikes, due to a severe lack of heavy equipment and some bodies being in areas under Israeli military control.

That is why a convoy of Egyptian trucks and engineering vehicles crossed into Gaza overnight to assist in the search for the remains of Israeli captives, highlighting the humanitarian urgency amid the political and military maneuvering.

Escalation despite US pressure

Reports indicate that Netanyahu had already been seeking a green light from US President Donald Trump for limited military action prior to the Rafah incident. However, no such approval had been granted before the claim of an Israeli soldier being shot by a sniper in Gaza emerged, which sheds light on hidden Israeli intentions to resume the bloodshed in Gaza.

Hours later, Netanyahu convened a smaller security cabinet meeting, where he approved the resumption of airstrikes and the expansion of the so-called “Yellow Line”, a buffer of Israeli control within Gaza. Both decisions are reportedly under review in ongoing talks with the Trump administration, as officials assess the scope and implications of "Israel’s" military escalation.

Senior Trump administration officials had earlier advised "Israel" to issue a 72-hour ultimatum for Hamas to return the remaining bodies before initiating any military action. Despite this, Netanyahu’s security cabinet moved forward with a response before the period elapsed.

Previous pretexts proven false

Last week, reports indicated that the deadly explosion in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which killed two Israeli occupation soldiers on October 19, 2025, was not carried out by Hamas, as initially claimed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

According to Ryan Grim, reporter at Drop Site News, both the White House and the Pentagon were quickly aware that the blast was caused by a bulldozer operated by an Israeli settler company running over unexploded ordnance, not a Hamas tunnel attack, slamming Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas fighters had popped up from tunnels. 

Footage had also shown Israeli excavators destroying what remains of damaged buildings in Rafah, further supporting the claims.

At the time, Grim noted that after Netanyahu falsely attributed the explosion to the Palestinian Resistance, specifically Hamas, and responded by blocking aid into Gaza and launching a large bombing campaign, the US administration immediately conveyed to "Israel" that it knew the true cause.

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Shortly after, Netanyahu announced the reopening of crossings into Gaza, and the Israeli occupation's military command said it would reinstate the ceasefire.

Trump absolves Hamas leadership

Even US President Donald Trump suggested that the leadership of Hamas was not responsible for the recent death of Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in southern Gaza.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on October 19, Trump said that the attack was carried out by “some rebels within” the movement.

Trump stated clearly, “Either way, it’s going to be handled properly. It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly.” He expressed hope that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza would hold and reaffirmed Washington’s intent to maintain stability, citing, “It’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas.”

'Israel' obstructing Gaza body recovery, creating false claims: Hamas

Earlier today, Hamas published a statement condemning Israeli efforts to disrupt the process of recovering Israeli troop bodies in Gaza, rejecting any falsehoods "Israel" has claimed on the subject.

In its statement, Hamas declared that the Israeli occupation continues to pursue a systematic policy aimed at obstructing and preventing efforts to locate the bodies of its soldiers inside the Gaza Strip, noting that it has explicitly refused to allow joint teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Resistance to enter several areas of the Strip to carry out this mission.

It added that the occupation has also prevented the entry of heavy machinery and equipment necessary to expedite and complete the search for the bodies of its soldiers in the Gaza Strip, while obstructing the recovery of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs still trapped beneath the rubble, thereby deepening the suffering of their families.

Delay claims baseless

The statement stressed that the occupation’s claims about the Resistance delaying action on this matter are baseless and meant to mislead public opinion, adding that the occupation is fabricating false pretexts as a prelude to launching new aggressive measures against the Palestinian people in blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Concluding its statement, Hamas called on mediators and guarantor parties to uphold their responsibilities in confronting these serious obstacles, to compel the occupation to end its deceptive practices, and to allow the relevant authorities to carry out their humanitarian duties free from political and hostile interference. 

Civilian toll mounts

Overnight, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 17 Palestinians and several others, underscoring the deadly consequences of a strategy many critics view as a pre-planned escalation under the guise of ceasefire enforcement.

This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli war on Gaza to over 68,531, with at least 170,402 injured, since October 7, 2023, according to the Ministry's daily statistical report.

As bombs rain down on Gaza, US says truce 'is holding'

Despite the airstrikes, the Trump administration continues to downplay the situation. “The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” US Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Tuesday. “We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the President’s peace is going to hold despite that.”

Notably, even JD Vance’s own words, "Hamas or somebody else within Gaza," highlight that "Israel" cannot prove beyond doubt that Hamas has violated the ceasefire, similar to a previous incident that Trump himself attributed to “some rebels within” Hamas.

Analysts point out that similar patterns of provocation, if any, followed by disproportionate Israeli attacks have also been observed in Lebanon, raising questions about the durability of so-called ceasefires and "Israel’s" intent to maintain them.

Observers argue that the recent airstrikes, launched amid diplomatic pressure and lacking verified justification, fit a broader pattern in which "Israel" prepares offensives in advance and seizes upon convenient triggers to justify them. The expansion of the Yellow Line, like past incursions, signals a strategic goal: to deepen control while undermining the credibility of ceasefire agreements.

Read more: Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing