Israel’s intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip this week marked the most serious challenge yet for a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

This comes after Hamas claimed that it uncovered the remains of two hostages during excavations in Gaza City on Tuesday evening. The Red Cross is en route to the Gaza Strip to collect the remains of two hostages from Hamas,

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.

The widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip has made it difficult for Hamas to locate and recover the bodies of the remaining Israeli hostages, who may be buried beneath the rubble.View on eurone

Israel restricts heavy machinery but allows Red Cross and Egyptian teams to enter Gaza to search for captives’ remains.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured a U.S.-led coordination center in southern Israel Friday, as the Trump administration pushed forward with plans to set up an international security force in Gaza and shore up a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.