Israeli forces killed at least 20 Palestinians across Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a “strong” offensive following a clash in southern Rafah, in which one Israeli soldier was wounded.

Tuesday’s attacks were the most significant escalation in violence since a ceasefire in the war-torn region came into effect on October 10, brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and announced that it would suspend planned steps to return the remains of missing detainees.

In a statement, it warned that any escalation by Israel would “impede search, exhumation, and rescue operations, thereby delaying the recovery of the remains of the 13 remaining detainees in Gaza.”

In Washington, DC, US Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized that the ceasefire remains in effect despite attacks and alleged violations by both sides.

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be small-scale clashes here and there,” Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill.

“We know that Hamas or someone else in Gaza attacked an [Israeli] soldier. We expect the Israelis to respond, but I think the president’s peace will prevail regardless.”

Hamas denied any role in the Rafah attack.

Medical sources in Gaza told Sky Live Goes TV that among those killed in Tuesday’s attacks were four people killed in an attack on a residential building in the Sabra neighborhood north of Gaza City, and five more in Khan Younis, south of Khan Younis.

Sky Live Goes TV’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said a missile landed behind Shifaa hospital and that “there is significant air activity in the skies over Gaza, with drones flying overhead.”

“Eyewitnesses described the attack as very large. We’re in an area about 20 minutes away and we can hear it from here,” he said. The attack caused chaos and panic among patients and medical staff inside the hospital.

In the Sabra area, rescue efforts continued throughout the night for Palestinians trapped under rubble, with workers trying to dig through the rubble with their bare hands.

Doctors said women and children were among the injured.

“This is a violation of the ceasefire,” Civil Defense worker Ibrahim Abu Rish said from the scene. “We have lost lives. Our staff are searching the building to find and rescue as many people as possible.”

The attack followed a statement from Netanyahu’s office indicating that the prime minister had ordered the army to launch a “powerful offensive” on Gaza.

The statement did not specify the cause of the attack, but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz blamed Hamas for the Rafah attack. Katz said the group would “pay a heavy price” for the alleged attacks on Israeli soldiers.

The Associated Press, citing two unnamed US officials, reported that Israel briefed Washington before launching its latest offensive on Gaza.

Gaza’s official media office stated that since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has killed at least 94 Palestinians and severely restricted the flow of aid to those in need.

Hamas called for an end to the Israeli attacks.

The cable stated that Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza is a “clear violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh under the auspices of US President Trump.”

The group also stated that it is committed to the agreement.

Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, said, “Israel must understand that we are committed to the agreement and stop falsely accusing us of violating it.” Speaking to Sky Live Gos TV, al-Hindi said the group had encountered “significant problems” recovering the bodies of Israeli detainees.

“We have done everything we can to recover the bodies, and the [Israeli] occupation forces are fully responsible for any delay in recovering the remaining bodies,” he said.

The Qassam Brigades, which announced the delay in the planned handover on Tuesday, announced that they had also recovered the bodies of two more Israeli detainees, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, during search operations conducted the same day.

Netanyahu said the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday were not those of the 13 dead detainees who have not yet been returned, but rather those of a detainee whose body was recovered by Israeli forces nearly two years ago.

Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, in response, called for tougher measures. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded the re-arrest of released Palestinians in response to “Hamas’s repeated and ongoing violations.”

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir said the correct answer is to “completely destroy [Hamas].”

Other options include ending the already harsh measures.