The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes in Gaza Tuesday in retaliation for multiple terrorist attacks on its forces. Both Israel and the U.S. affirm that the ceasefire still holds for now, but Hamas’s repeated violations and ongoing presence in the strip raise questions about whether Trump’s peace plan will ever proceed beyond Phase One.

At around 3:45 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday afternoon, terrorist snipers in Rafah opened fire at a building used by Israeli troops, as well as at an army excavator engaged in removing terrorist infrastructure within Israel’s zone of control. The snipers shot and killed Master Sgt. Yona Efraim Feldbaum, a reservist, who was operating the excavator at the time. Shortly afterward, terrorist operatives also fired several RPGs at Israeli forces, hitting an armored vehicle but inflicting no further human casualties.

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a “forceful” response, the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes overnight on over 30 commanders of Hamas and other terror groups in the Strip. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry estimated that 104 people were killed in the strikes, but it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, nor has it built a record for credibility. Netanyahu informed the U.S. of the strikes after giving the order but before they were executed.

Even before the violence began, Israel was already complaining about Hamas’s failure to return all the bodies of deceased hostages by the stipulated deadline. According to the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas obligated itself to return all remains of the hostages within 72 hours from the return of the last living hostages, which took place on October 13. Hamas’s 72 hours have stretched into more than two weeks, but so far, Hamas has returned only 15 of the 28 deceased hostages remaining in Gaza.

Thus far, Hamas has relied on the plausible excuse that it is difficult to find the bodies of hostages buried under rubble, but they are working to find them as quickly as they can.

However, footage captured Tuesday by an Israeli drone showed that, at least in some instances, Hamas is lying. The footage, which Israel shared with the U.S. and the Red Cross, showed militants bringing partial remains of one hostage out of a building, burying it in a large hole they had dug, covering it with dirt, and then later pretending to discover the remains in front of members of the Red Cross. The partial remains belonged to deceased hostage Ofir Tzarfati, whose remains had also been returned to Israel on two previous occasions.

The video evidence was so clear that the Red Cross issued a rare criticism, saying that its staff “were not aware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, as seen in the footage. … It is unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged, when so much depends on this agreement being upheld.”

“Hamas knows the location of all the hostages,” asserted Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families forum, “and continues to act with contempt, deceiving mediators and the international community while desecrating the dignity of our loved ones.”

“Everybody figured that Hamas might cheat on the deal,” remarked Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) on “Washington Watch,” “and it looks like they are.”

Yet senior Trump administration officials counseled Israel to moderation, contending that the footage did not show a ceasefire violation clear enough to justify “radical measures” in response. Instead, they recommended issuing a tougher ultimatum for Hamas to return the remaining bodies within 72 hours. If Hamas did not comply, then the U.S. would support Israel advancing its “Yellow Line” of control in Gaza.

Within hours, this counsel was rendered obsolete by much clearer violations of the ceasefire, as terrorists in Gaza shot at Israeli soldiers and killed one. Since the essence of a ceasefire requires that both sides cease firing, this was an indisputable violation.

When asked about the Israeli airstrikes during his tour of eastern Asia, President Donald Trump appeared entirely unconcerned. “They killed an Israeli soldier, so the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back,” Trump said. “If they [Hamas] are good, they are going to be happy, and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated.”

“You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave,” the president added, declaring that “nothing is going to jeopardize” his Gaza ceasefire.

Vice President J.D. Vance projected similar confidence in the ceasefire. “The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” he reasoned. “We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an IDF soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president’s peace is going to hold despite it.”

After concluding its retaliatory strikes, the Israeli military said it would resume enforcing the ceasefire in Gaza. For its part, the untrustworthy Hamas also insisted that it remains committed to the ceasefire.

At the same time, Hamas found its own saber to rattle. On Tuesday, Hamas said it had located the body of another hostage but would postpone returning the body to Israel due to Israel’s ceasefire “violations” — likely referring to the then-ongoing retaliatory strikes. Under the ceasefire, Israel has a right to respond to imminent threats. On Tuesday night, Hamas claimed to find the bodies of two other hostages, whom it named.

However, after an Israeli drone caught Hamas operatives in the act of fabricating the “discovery” of hostage remains, any Hamas claim to “find” new bodies must be treated as highly suspect. Israel maintains that Hamas already knows where the bodies of the remaining hostages are.

Assuming this is true, it would mean that Hamas is now using the bodies of the dead hostages as they used the bodies of the living hostages: as leverage. It would mean that Hamas is gradually releasing the hostages as slowly as possible while they rearm and reassert their control over Gaza. And it also appears that Hamas wants to use the bodies of the hostages as leverage to deter Israel from forcibly responding to Hamas’s own violations of the ceasefire.

“It would be a shame if the truce doesn’t hold,” reflected Harris. “Hopefully, again, every time the Israelis do one of these missions … it’ll end the conflict.”

Yet a ceasefire, like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest link. As usual, that weakest link appears to be Hamas. A ceasefire means nothing if one belligerent will not cease firing.