Israel's military has begun striking the Gaza Strip again, as Israel and Hamas traded blame for violating the ceasefire brokered by President Trump.

An Israeli military official told Reuters Hamas violated the ceasefire with an attack against Israeli forces in an area under Israeli control.

The renewed fighting marks the most serious challenge yet to the ceasefire, which had largely held since it was agreed earlier this month

At least two people were killed and four others were injured on Tuesday after an Israeli strike on the Sabra neighborhood south of Gaza City, Gaza's Civil Defence said.

Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire on IDF forces in southern Gaza.View on euronews

Hamas has said the return of the remaining bodies "may take some time" due to the destruction wrought in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the country's military to "carry out powerful strikes in Gaza," a statement from his office said, in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas.

A US-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect on Oct 10, halting two years of war that was triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

The latest handover is an indication that the fragile ceasefire agreement is moving forward despite Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight.