Israel carries out fresh strike on Gaza and accuses Hamas of preparing 'imminent terror attack'

The Israeli military says it has carried out a fresh strike on Gaza, in a move that will further raise concerns about the fragility of its ceasefire with Hamas.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it conducted the strike on what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in the area of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. It said the site was being used to store weapons that it claimed were "intended to be used for the execution of an imminent terror attack against IDF soldiers".

"IDF soldiers in the southern command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat," a spokesperson said. People living in Gaza City said they heard an explosion in Gaza and saw a column of smoke.

It comes after hospital officials said at least 104 people, including 46 children, had been killed overnight in Gaza after Israel launched new strikes. Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after an Israeli official reported that troops had come under fire in southern Gaza.

Israel claimed a soldier was killed on Tuesday afternoon by "enemy fire" in the southern city of Rafah. Read more:Trump defends Israeli strikes in Gaza Israel says one of its soldiers killed in Gaza The decision also followed Hamas's handover on Monday of body parts that Israel said belonged to a hostage whose remains were partly recovered earlier in the conflict.

Hamas has denied any role in the Rafah shooting and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. 'Nothing is going to jeopardise the ceasefire' US President Donald Trump had said the ceasefire was not at risk, telling reporters: "As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier." He added: "So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back.

When that happens, they should hit back. Nothing is going to jeopardise [the ceasefire].

"You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave." Following the latest strikes, the Israeli military said it would continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement. It added that it would respond firmly to "any violation".

'Very disappointing and frustrating' Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said on Wednesday that the attack on the Israeli soldier and the following airstrikes had been "very disappointing and frustrating for us". Qatar had been leading peace efforts in Gaza, along with the US and Egypt.

At the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, al-Thani said Hamas militants had been clear they were prepared to give up governance of the enclave, which they have run since 2007. He added that Qatar had been pushing them to acknowledge that they need to disarm..