Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 60 people including children – officials

An Israeli army flare drifts over an area in the northern Gaza Strip (Leo Correa/AP)

Israeli strikes overnight in Gaza have killed at least 60 people, including many children, local hospital officials said.

It is likely to be the most serious challenge to the tenuous ceasefire in the territory since it came into force earlier this month.

The development came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to conduct “powerful strikes” on Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the fragile ceasefire.

Hamas said in response that that it would delay handing over the body of another hostage.

The Aqsa Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah said at least 10 bodies, including three women and six children, were brought in overnight after two Israeli air strikes there.

In southern Gaza, the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 20 bodies after five Israeli strikes in the area, of whom 13 were children and two were women.

In central Gaza, the Al-Awda Hospital said it received 30 bodies, including 14 children.

Mr Netanyahu’s order to launch strikes came after an Israeli official said its forces were fired on in southern Gaza and after Hamas handed over body parts on Monday that Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war.

The US initially tried to play down the flare-up in violence, with vice president JD Vance saying he expected “skirmishes” to quickly die down.