JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip this week marked the most serious challenge yet for a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal.
Over 100 Palestinians were killed, including dozens of civilians, according to Gaza health officials. One Israeli soldier was killed in an attack that helped prompt the fierce Israeli strikes. President Donald Trump defended Israel’s actions but also made clear that the U.S. expects the broader truce, which began Oct. 10, to hold.
By early Wednesday, the ceasefire had been restored almost as quickly as it had unraveled. In another positive sign, Israel said Thursday that Hamas had returned the remains of two dead hostages.
The chain of events underscored the fragility of the deal between Israel and Hamas, but also showed how intent the U.S. is on keeping it going.
Here are some takeaways from a tense three days in the region.
Trump will allow Israel to bomb, but won't let deal collapse
Trump has staked his personal reputation on the success of this deal and poured diplomatic and military resources into making sure it succeeds.
Trump himself flew to the region to usher in the agreement, visiting Israel and then meeting with key Arab and other international leaders in Egypt.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and two senior advisers — White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — have all visited Israel in recent days, a sign of the deal's importance to the U.S.
The U.S. is also leading a new international effort meant to coordinate aid shipments into Gaza and to bolster the agreement.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump defended Israel’s actions, saying it “should hit back” when its troops come under attack.
Yet he also signaled that he will keep Israel in check, saying he is confident the ceasefire will stick.
Vance also tried to play down the violence, saying Tuesday that “the ceasefire is holding.“
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” he said.
Despite ceasefire, Gaza civilians are paying a heavy price
The Israeli military has a long history of tough responses to enemy attacks, and Tuesday night’s airstrikes were no exception.
Israel said it struck dozens of Hamas militants and military sites. Palestinian health officials said that scores of women and children, including a 1-year-old, were killed in the attacks.
After announcing the ceasefire was back on, the military said it carried out another airstrike in northern Gaza, targeting what it called a site where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said it received two bodies from the strike. Israel's military continued to strike militant infrastructure in Gaza overnight into Thursday, sending at least 40 injured people to Nasser Hospital in south Gaza, according to Mohammad Saar, head of the nursing department.
Israel’s five wars against Hamas, along with recent conflicts with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Hamas, have all been characterized by lopsided death tolls with large numbers of civilian deaths.
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran earlier this year, for instance, Iran said over 1,000 Iranians were killed. Israel’s government said around 30 Israelis lost their lives in Iranian missile attacks.
Israel says it complies with international law and only strikes military targets, while accusing its enemies of using civilians as human shields. But human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israel of using disproportionate force.
Israel will hold Hamas responsible for any perceived truce violation
Since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Israel has said the Islamic militant group is responsible for all violence emanating from the territory, even when Hamas denies involvement.
That still appears to be the case: Hamas said it was not involved in Tuesday’s shooting of the Israeli soldier in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Increasing the likelihood of further fighting, Netanyahu also faces intense pressure from hard-liners to issue a punishing response to any perceived violation of the truce.
With Israeli critics and media accusing Netanyahu of caving to American pressure, the Israeli leader also has been eager to assert his independence. Vance and other Israeli officials have rejected suggestions that they are controlling Israeli actions.
The ceasefire is stuck in its initial phase
Trump has presented a 20-point plan for the ceasefire, beginning with the exchange of hostages, both dead and alive, for living and deceased Palestinian prisoners.
The details of the next phase of the deal — disarming Hamas, installing a new government in Gaza and deploying an international security force -- are yet to be hammered out.
For now, the sides remain stuck in phase one.
Hamas’ return of two sets of hostage remains Thursday restored faith in the hostage portion of the fragile ceasefire agreement, especially given that one of the triggers of the deadly Israeli airstrikes on Gaza was Hamas’ handling of recent turnovers.
Prior to Thursday's return, Hamas had returned body parts belonging to a hostage whose remains had been recovered by Israel in late 2023, infuriating Israeli officials. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of hostage remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute, edited video from a military drone in Gaza.
With mistrust running deep, and the remains of dead hostages still in Gaza, the potential for additional bursts of violence appears to remain high.
