DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip —

The Israeli army launched a barrage of attacks in Gaza on Tuesday as tensions with Hamas grew two weeks into a fragile ceasefire, and the militant group responded by saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage. At least seven Palestinians were killed, health officials said.

The flare-up of violence presented one of the biggest tests so far for the truce and had international mediators scrambling to prevent it from collapsing. U.S. Vice President JD Vance attempted to play down the fighting, saying he expected "skirmishes" to quickly die down.

The order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch "powerful strikes" came after an Israeli official said its forces were fired upon in southern Gaza and after Hamas handed over body parts on Monday

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