The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week did not belong to any of the hostages, an Israeli source told CBS News on Saturday. It is the latest setback that could undermine the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The unidentified remains of the three people were returned late Friday to Israel, where they were examined overnight. At the time, a military official told the Associated Press that Israeli intelligence suggested they did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in southern Israel that sparked the war. The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday confirmed that the remains did not belong to any of the hostages, without giving further details, the Associated Press reported. CBS News has reached out to Netanyahu’s office for additional comment.
The Israeli army declined to comment to CBS News on Saturday, saying it did not announce it received the bodies.
“The reports in question were not issued by us, therefore, we won’t confirm their accuracy,” an IDF spokesperson told CBS News.
Hamas’ armed wing said in a subsequent statement on Saturday that it had offered to hand over samples on Friday of unidentified bodies, but that Israel had refused to receive them and asked for the remains for examination.
“We handed the bodies over to stop the claims of Israel,” the statement said.
It’s unclear who the remains belonged to.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years.
But the process of returning the bodies of the last 11 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly, with militants releasing just one or two bodies every few days.
The total number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the ceasefire began stands at 225. Only 75 of those have been identified by families, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, whether they died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas released all living Israeli hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees. Israel pulled back its troops to a designated line within Gaza, halted its military offensive and increased aid into the territory.
The fragile truce faced its biggest challenge earlier this week when Israel carried out strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, and the incomplete return of hostages.
The Israeli military said it had “begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” in Gaza after carrying out airstrikes that it said hit “dozens of terror targets and terrorists” in the Palestinian territory. The flare-up of violence on Tuesday sparked fears that the U.S.-brokered peace deal between Israel and Hamas could crumble.
At least 104 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s strikes, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it would “continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it.”
An Israeli military source said Tuesday that IDF forces had been operating in Rafah, southern Gaza, to dismantle tunnels when enemy fire was directed at a structure and an engineering vehicle, killing Master Sergeant (Res.) Yona Efraim Feldbaum.
Shortly after, anti-tank missiles were fired at a separate armored vehicle and troops in the area, the Israeli military source said.
Hamas denied any involvement in the shooting.
Relatives of Palestinians, including children, said to have been killed in Israeli strikes on central Gaza, mourn as they carry the bodies from the al-Shifa Hospital for burial in Gaza City, Oct. 29, 2025.
Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu/Getty
Later Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered Israel’s military to conduct “powerful strikes” in Gaza in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas.
In response, Hamas said it would delay the return of the remains of another hostage that had been expected to take place on Tuesday.
President Trump, who is on a trip to Asia, said Israel was justified in carrying out the strikes against Hamas, telling reporters on Wednesday: “As I understand it, they [Hamas] took out an Israeli soldier, so the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back.”
“Nothing is going to jeopardize” the ceasefire, Mr. Trump added. “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”
On Wednesday, Hamas accused the Israeli military of committing “a large-scale massacre” overnight, “despite the agreement to halt the war.”
Israel’s strikes “reflect a clear lack of respect by the occupation government toward the mediators and guarantor states, which have failed to stop the occupation from continuing its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
Mohammed Hasan Abu Daqa, a Palestinian in Khan Younis, told CBS News’ team in Gaza that he believed Israel had breached the truce.
“We call on the Arab nations, on world leaders, on the International community to stand with the people of Gaza,” Abu Daqa said. “The people of Gaza are searching for food. They are searching for water. They are searching for freedom. They are asking for the crossings to be opened and for a decent life like everyone else.”
An ICRC statement declared that the organization was “uaware” of the staging, and emphasized that “the return of remains to loved ones must not be politicized.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the video of Hamas staging the discovery of a hostage’s body in front of Red Cross volunteers was “unacceptable” in a Tuesday statement.
An IDF drone captured footage of Hamas terrorists staging the falsified uncovering on Tuesday.
The video shows Hamas members placing slain Ofir Tzarfati’s remains in a freshly dug hole before covering the remains with dirt. They then proceeded to “dig” up the remains and called over members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to witness the discovery.
According to the statement, the ICRC was present at the request of Hamas officials, but their personnel were “not aware that a body had been placed at the site before their arrival.”
The Red Cross denied prior knowledge of or responsibility for the hoax, explaining that Israeli authorities were previously notified of the organization’s presence at the scene, which “was carried out in full transparency.”
“It is unacceptable that a staged recovery of hostages has occurred, especially when so much depends on the existence of this agreement and so many families are still anxiously waiting for information about their loved ones.”
Hamas terrorists seen taking out a white bag containing the remains of Ofir Tzarfati, covering it with sand, October 28, 2025. (credit: Section 27A of the Copyright Act)
ICRC slams Hamas for staged discovery of slain hostage’s remains
The Red Cross clarified that its staff “observed what appeared to be the collection of remains, without prior knowledge of the circumstances that led to it” and “was unable to intervene directly in what was taking place.”
The statement urged all parties involved in the ceasefire to fulfill their commitments and “assist in returning those who have passed.”
The ICRC called for “the dignified handling of human remains, in accordance with the requirements of international humanitarian law, as well as the maintenance of forensic standards,” emphasizing that the “return of remains to loved ones must not be politicized.”
Nearly three weeks after a ceasefire began in the Gaza war, the Israeli Air Force renewed attacks on the Gaza Strip after the Israeli government accused Hamas of attacking Israeli troops and violating the ceasefire agreement.
Shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out immediate “powerful” strikes, Palestinian eyewitnesses on Tuesday said the Israeli Air Force was hitting targets around Gaza City.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that several Palestinians had been killed and wounded in the Tuesday evening attacks in and around Gaza City.
In the south, at least five people were killed in another airstrike, according to the Hamas-controlled civil defence.
A spokesman said that children were among them. A vehicle was targeted in the town of Khan Younis in the south of the coastal strip, he said. An Israeli military spokesman said the report was being investigated.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas that it would pay a “heavy price” for attacking Israeli soldiers in Gaza and violating an agreement on the return of deceased hostages, his office said.
Katz said Tuesday’s attack by militants in southern Gaza had crossed a “glaring red line” and that the Israeli military would respond with “great force.”
“Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages,” he added.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Palestinians had attacked soldiers in Rafah earlier on Tuesday, including with a rocket-propelled grenade, and that a sniper was also involved in the assault.
Hamas delays body handover after new attacks
The Palestinian Islamist militia announced it would postpone the transfer of another hostage’s remains, which had been scheduled for Tuesday evening, following the renewed Israeli attacks.
The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said on Telegram the delay was a response to “violations by the occupation (Israel).”
A body had previously been found during search operations in a tunnel in the south of the Gaza Strip, it said, but new Israeli attacks were hindering the searches and the handover.
Anger over slow hostage remains return
The Israeli government is angered over what they have called deliberate stalling tactics from Hamas in handing over 28 bodies of hostages, of which 13 must still be returned.
Hamas says it is difficult to find the dead because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels.
On Monday evening, Hamas again handed over human remains, but forensic examinations in Israel revealed that they belonged to an Israeli whose body the army had already brought back to Israel in autumn 2023.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army released a video that it says shows Hamas members removing a body from a building, burying it in the ground and then calling in representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the “recovery” of the body. Red Cross staff has to date dealt with the handover of the mortal remains of hostages.
This triggered great anger and outrage in Israel, and was the reason for Netanyahu’s security consultations on the next steps.
Repeated ceasefire violations
Since October 10, Hamas and Israel have accused each other of repeated ceasefire violations. More than 90 Palestinians have already been killed since the latest ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health authority.
The trigger for the Gaza war was the massacre by Hamas and other terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted.
In subsequent massive Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, more than 68,500 people were killed, according to the Hamas-run health authority.
Israel’s government said Tuesday that a set of partial hostage remains returned by Hamas the previous day belonged to a deceased captive recovered by the military around two years ago.
“After completing the identification process this morning, it was found that last night remains belonging to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago, were returned,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
“This constitutes a clear violation of the [Gaza peace] agreement” by Hamas, Netanyahu’s office said, adding that the prime minister would meet with the heads of Israel’s defense establishment, “during which Israel’s steps in response to the violations will be discussed.”
An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza urged authorities to “act decisively” against Hamas, accusing the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group of violating the peace deal brokered by President Trump by returning only the partial remains of the previously recovered hostage, Ofir Tzarfati, rather than one of the 13 whose bodies remain in Gaza.
A poster showing Ofir Tzarfati, who was declared killed after being kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, is seen at a memorial display of photos of people killed during the attack on the Nova music festival, Nov. 30, 2023, in Re’im, Israel.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty/Alexi Rosenfeld
“In light of Hamas’ severe breach of the agreement last night … the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents many of the hostage families, said in a statement.
The forum has urged Israel’s leaders to declare Hamas in breach of the peace deal since it started handing over the remains of 28 deceased hostages that had been held in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has said it needs more time, assistance and heavy equipment to locate and recover the remaining 13 bodies still in the Palestinian territory, and that work has ramped up in recent days, with Egypt sending a team to assist and the Red Cross confirming to CBS News on Monday that its staff were accompanying recovery teams on the ground.
President Trump warned on Saturday that he was “watching very closely” to ensure that Hamas returned more bodies within 48 hours.
“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” he wrote on his Truth Social network.
A view shows the heavily damaged Al Nassr neighborhood, where Palestinians struggle to rebuild their lives amid the rubble after a ceasefire agreement in Gaza City, Gaza, Oct. 28, 2025, as many buildings were destroyed and civilian homes and belongings suffered extensive damage.
Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu/Getty
Israeli hostage negotiator and peace campaigner Gershon Baskin told CBS News earlier this month that it was ” very likely that there might be Israeli bodies underneath the rubble” in Gaza, where the Hamas-run government estimates that at least 90% of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
“Some of the deceased hostages may never be found, and that’s part of the reality, but we have to make sure that Hamas is doing everything possible to do it,” Baskin said.
Israel is working on alternative options if Hamas does not comply with demands to return the remains of hostages still in Gaza, security establishment insiders say.
Israel is working on five options in case Hamas fails to deliver on returning the hostage remains, insiders within the Israeli security establishment said on Monday.
In no specific order, the five options being explored are: Extending operational control, targeted escalation, hostage remains retrieval operation, diplomatic pressure, and ending existing agreements.
Extending operational control
The first option involves Israel launching operations to expand control over key areas, increasing the percentage of the Gaza Strip with an IDF presence.
Following the policies outlined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has been active along the border, targeting and destroying Hamas infrastructure, including terror tunnels.
Targeted escalation
The second option would involve further escalation of Israel’s military efforts within Gaza, targeting Hamas operatives and field commanders. The IDF has already demonstrated this approach by striking a vehicle carrying Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives preparing for an attack.
Palestinians seen carrying out Hamas-controlled excavations in search for remains of slain hostages in the Gaza Strip, October 27, 2025 (credit: TPS-IL)
More aggressive steps could include a return to targeted killings of senior Hamas leadership, who no longer have human shields.
Hostage remains retrieval operations
A third option would be to utilize Israeli intelligence for retrieving the remains, employing air, ground, and land maneuvers. Although such an operation would carry a high risk for IDF personnel and could cause environmental damage, it remains a viable option to pressure Hamas.
Diplomatic pressure
Another option Israel may employ is diplomatic pressure, particularly leveraging the US to apply influence on mediators such as Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, urging them to ensure the return of all hostages.
Such measures would set the stage for Israel to shift to Phase II, including closing border crossings and reducing humanitarian aid and energy supplies to Gaza.
Termination of existing agreements
The fifth option involves the cancellation of all agreements and understandings with Hamas, effectively leading to a resumption of intense fighting across Gaza. While this is not currently seen as a favorable option, it remains a theoretical response should all else fail.
Gunmen stand guard at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025. (credit: AGUSTIN MARCARIAN/REUTERS)
Hamas using hostages as bargaining chips?
There are increasing concerns within Israeli circles that Hamas may be using the remains of the fallen as “bargaining chips” and actively misleading Red Cross teams. Israel is contemplating several strategies in coordination with the US to ramp up pressure on Hamas.
Hamas is believed to be well aware of the locations where the remains are buried, while sending Red Cross teams and Egyptian officials to areas unrelated to the real burial sites.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Hamas is operating near the IDF’s border, close to the Yellow Line, complicating the Israeli military’s ability to respond to suspicious movements. In some instances, the IDF has even adjusted its positioning.
A source told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas is dragging its feet on returning the bodies of slain hostages Hadar Goldin and Col. Assaf Hamami.
Hamas knows where slain hostages IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin and Col. Asaf Hamami are buried, but is stalling the return of their remains, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Goldin was taken captive on August 1, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge. He was working to dismantle a terror tunnel in Rafah when two Hamas terrorists emerged from the tunnel and took him captive.
He was initially believed to have been taken alive, but the IDF announced days later that he had been killed before his body was taken.
The Military Rabbinate decided that the matter was clear enough to hold a funeral, and despite his body being held in Gaza, partial remains were buried in a funeral attended by thousands of Israelis.
IDF Col. Asaf Hamami was the commander of the southern brigade in the Gaza division. On October 7, he rushed to Kibbutz Nirim to defend the border.
A house at Kibbutz Nirim burned on October 7 in the Hamas attack. (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
According to KAN 7.10.360, a digital memorial project of October 7, when Hamami reached Kibbutz Nirim with fellow soldiers Tomer Ahimas and Kiril Brodsky, he immediately recognized the extent of the situation, quickly calling on his radio, “Guys, we’re at war. We’re at war.”
He was subsequently fatally wounded, and his body was taken hostage to Gaza.
Hamas says it will hand over unidentified hostage remains on Monday
This comes as Hamas confirmed that it would hand over the remains of an unidentified hostage on Monday evening.
A member of Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades told Al Jazeera that the remains were discovered during excavation efforts in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City.
Hamas also told Arab mediators on Monday that it is working to excavate between seven and nine bodies of slain hostages from the Gaza Strip, Saudi network Asharq News reported on Monday.
The source added that as soon as the remains are excavated, Hamas will hand them over to the Red Cross. However, the source did not say whether all the remains will be released in a single handover.
In a revealing interview, freed hostage Bar Kuperstein recounts brutal treatment in Gaza, including starvation and physical abuse, linked to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In a harrowing interview with KAN News following his release from Gaza, freed hostage Bar Kuperstein described the constant psychological warfare and physical abuse he endured in Hamas captivity, including intentional starvation and a violent incident he said Hamas terrorists linked directly to Israeli political figures.
Kuperstein described torture and deliberate denial of his most basic needs. “I remember there were days when there was food for them, and we had none. They just didn’t bring any for us,” Kuperstein told KAN.
When asked if he thought they were intentionally denying food, he said yes – “there was another guy we called ‘Shahurzik.’ He told us, ‘I’m here to make sure they don’t treat you too well.’”
Kuperstein also noted a stark difference in their physical condition compared to their captors, noting that his captors did not necessarily eat in front of them, but one could tell from their weight and bodies. “We were getting smaller, and they were getting bigger,” he said, as the interview showed videos surfaced from Hamas members feasting in tunnels, amidst claims of famine in Gaza.
Kuperstein recounted a specific period of torture that began around the 270th day of his captivity, which his captors explicitly linked to Israeli politics and the media. When asked why the sudden uptick in abuse, he noted that it had to do with the wealthy population of the country and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “
I remember when they came to us and bombarded us with sources. They made us stand against the wall and hit us. They explained it was because of Ben-Gvir and what he was doing to the rich people,” he recalled. The abuse quickly escalated.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir attends a cabinet meeting, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on July 30, 2023. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL)
“After a week, I remember they took me to their room, tied me up, of course. When I entered, I got two hard slaps to the face, real ones. I fell to the floor immediately. They dragged me by my legs across the whole room, stomping on me and humiliating me as much as they could,” he told KAN.
As they tied his legs, a captor delivered a chilling message in Hebrew.
“One of them, speaking in Hebrew, said, ‘Until now, we’ve done nothing. Now you’ll feel it firsthand. This is what we do to the rich people at your place.’
Kuperstein shared the terror of that moment: “As they tied my legs, I thought, ‘What’s happening? Are they going to break my legs now?’ You start thinking, ‘Wow, this could be the end for me.’ Your whole life flashes before your eyes.”
The torture continued with focused brutality. “They took a stick and started hitting our feet with it. I remember I put my right foot on my left to take the blows on just one leg. At least leave me one leg. That was really luck,” he said, noting that a few of his toes were broken from the abuse, and he was unable to put weight on his leg for about a month.
‘Why aren’t you taking care of us?’
Looking back, Kuperstein expressed strong anger, not just at his captors, but at the situation that allowed his treatment to continue. “How could things like this happen and get broadcast? If they knew what was going on, how could they let us be treated this way?” he said. “You’re a minister in the government — why aren’t you taking care of us?”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a response on X, calling Kuperstein’s interview “propaganda” and feeding Hamas’ narrative.
He expressed regards toward Bar Kuperstein and the returned captives, though quickly turned the post to discuss prisons in Israel.
“Hamas didn’t need an excuse for them to come in on October 7th, murder, rape, abuse, and burn babies. All of these things happened long before the changes in the prisons – changes that Netanyahu at that time wouldn’t let me make,” his post read. “Today, even the General Security Service admits that the publication of the policy led to a decrease in attacks and a deterrence for Hamas.”
Ambassadors and representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered Sunday at Kibbutz Be’eri for a memorial honoring foreign workers who were killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Ambassadors and representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered on Sunday at Kibbutz Be’eri for a memorial honoring the foreign workers who were killed in Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
The ceremony, hosted by embassies representing Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and other Asia-Pacific nations, commemorated dozens of foreign nationals whose lives were cut short while living and working in Israel.
Many of the victims were caregivers, agricultural laborers, and students who had come seeking opportunity and became part of Israeli life.
A representative of Nepal’s embassy came in place of Ambassador Dhan Prasad Pandit, who had not returned to Israel yet, as he was involved in the repatriation of slain Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi.
Joshi was killed in Hamas captivity. Previously released footage of him by the terrorists had shown him alive.
Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit Gaza border communities during the attack, was home to many of the victims.
Four Filipinos, two Sri Lankans, and one Australian were killed there. Moreover, two Thai workers were abducted and later killed in Gaza. The body of one Thai national, Sudthisak Rinthalak, has remained in Gaza for over two years.
During the memorial service, Thai Ambassador Boonyarit Vichienpuntu talked about the 28,000 Thai nationals currently living and working in Israel, most of them in agriculture.
“They were highly commended for their hard work, dedication, and kindness,” he said. “They helped cultivate this land and feed this nation. Gradually, they became an integral part of the Israeli economy and society.”
The ambassador paid tribute to the 42 Thai citizens murdered during the Hamas assault, including Sudthisak, who had worked in Be’eri.
“He will never be forgotten,” Boonyarit said. “We strongly call, once again, for the long-awaited release of his body and all other remaining victims.”
Speaking afterward to The Jerusalem Post, Boonyarit said that Thai officials were awaiting news regarding Sudthisak’s body, hoping that it would be retrieved and returned to his hometown. Boonyarit expressed confidence in the government and its ongoing efforts to bring the remains home.
The ceremony included remarks from Aviv Ezra, the deputy director-general for Asia-Pacific affairs at the Foreign Ministry, who said that the foreign workers’ deaths were also Israel’s loss. “We are better together. We are stronger together,” he said.
‘Remembering those who are no longer beside us by paying attention to those who are’
Vietnamese Ambassador Ly Duc Trung, serving as the dean of the Asia-Pacific ambassadors, called not only for remembrance but also for keeping the foreign workers’ living conditions in mind.
He said he had requested that the Israeli government address safety, shelter during conflict, and labor policies affecting foreign nationals.
“We believe that the best way to remember those who are no longer beside us is by paying due attention to those who still are,” Trung said.
Filipino Ambassador Aileen Mendiola spoke of four of her nation’s people who were murdered on October 7: Paul Vincent Castelvi and Grace Cabrera, both killed in Be’eri, Angelyn Aguirre, murdered in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Loreta Alacre, who was in the South at the time of the attacks.
In the crowd were Filipino caregivers who survived the massacre, as well as one who was released from captivity in the November 2023 deal. Additionally, parents of fallen Filipino soldiers killed in Israel’s fight to return the captives were also in attendance.
“Many of them showed extraordinary courage and devotion in protecting and saving their employers during those terrifying hours,” Mendiola told the attendees.
“Despite the terrifying danger, they continued to fight for their saba [grandfather in Hebrew] and savta [grandmother],” the envoy said.
“Their strength amid grief reminds us of the immense cost of the conflict, carried not only by nations, but by families, parents, spouses, and children whose lives are forever changed,” she added, calling for the return of Joshua Mollel, the Tanzanian agricultural student whose body is still held captive by Hamas, and all remaining hostages.
“One too many lives,” Mendiola stated.
Sri Lanka’s envoy spoke of the two slain Sri Lankan hostages, both murdered in Be’eri while working as caregivers. 49-year-old Anula Jayathilaka and 41-year-oldSujth Yatawara Bandara both had families back home they were working to support.
Sri Lanka Ambassador Nimal Bandara paid homage to his constituents, but chose to also mention what he said was Israel’s continued commitment to “paying dues, salaries, and compensation [to the surviving families] on time.”
“We cannot compensate for the lives sacrificed by paying money, but the government and the relevant agencies are paying attention to the families of those who lost their lives, who depended on them,” Bandara said.
He listed the nationalities of the 71 foreign workers murdered on October 7: 39 Thai, 11 Nepali, four Filipino, four Chinese, two Sri Lankan, two Eritrean, two British, one Cambodian, one Australian, one Tanzanian, one German, one Sudanese, one Canadian, and one British-Mexican dual citizen.
“We are gathered here today to respect their contribution to Israel’s society and the country and to respect their family members who contributed to protect this land and help the new society,” the ambassador said.
Diplomats, Israeli officials, ex-hostages, survivors, and bereaved families attended the ceremony, which featured interfaith prayers led by a Catholic priest and a Buddhist monk, candle-lighting rites, and tribute performances.
In a statement from Kibbutz Be’eri, community director Yiftach Zeliniker expressed deep sorrow for the foreign caregivers who died protecting residents that day, including Cabrera and Castelvi of the Philippines, and Jayathilaka and Yatawara of Sri Lanka.
“I am sorry that we could not protect your loved ones on that terrible day,” Zeliniker said. “Your loved ones protected and cared for our members, and we will be eternally grateful for that.”
He also thanked the foreign workers who remained in Be’eri. “Living and working with a community in trauma are immense challenges,” he said. “We are grateful to you for staying with us and caring for our beloved kibbutz members.”
The Asia-Pacific embassies and the Be’eri community said the commemoration was not only a remembrance of those lost but also a reaffirmation of the enduring bonds between Israel and the Asia-Pacific nations whose citizens have shared in its pain, continuing to help rebuild its future.
Hamas expanded its search for the remaining bodies of Israeli hostages in new areas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the terrorist group said, a day after Egypt deployed a team of experts to help retrieve the bodies.
A convoy of trucks and heavy equipment, including an excavator and bulldozers, entered southern Gaza overnight, part of efforts by international mediators to shore up the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, two Egyptian officials told the Associated Press, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Footage by the Agence France-Presse news agency showed the convoy in Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza.
Trucks line up to enter the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing on Oct. 26, 2025 in Rafah, Egypt.
Ali Moustafa / Getty Images
Under the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire, reached on Oct. 10, Hamas is expected to return all of the remains of Israeli hostages as soon as possible. Israel agreed to give back 15 bodies of Palestinians for every body of a hostage that is returned.
Thus far, Hamas has returned 18 bodies of hostages, but in the past five days, it has failed to release any. Israel has sent back the bodies of 195 Palestinians.
The heavy construction machinery to be used in the debris removal operations departs for Gaza to pass through the Rafah Border Crossing, in Egypt, on October 26, 2025.
Ahmed Sayed/Anadolu via Getty Images
Hamas’ chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said the Palestinian group started searching in new areas for 13 bodies of hostages that remain in the enclave, according to comments shared by the group early Sunday.
President Trump warned Saturday that he was “watching very closely” to ensure Hamas returns more bodies within the next 48 hours. “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Al-Hayya, who is also Hamas’ top negotiator, told an Egyptian media outlet last week that efforts to retrieve the bodies faced challenges because of the massive destruction, burying them deep underground.
Israeli strikes wounded four in central Gaza
Israeli forces struck the central Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza on Saturday night, for the second time in a week, according to Awda Hospital that received the wounded.
The Israeli military claimed it targeted militants associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group who were planning to attack Israeli troops.
Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza, denied it was preparing for an attack.
Hamas called the strike a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to sabotage Mr. Trump’s efforts to end the war.
It was the same area that Israel targeted in a series of strikes on Oct. 19, after the military accused Hamas militants of killing two Israeli soldiers. That day, Israel launched dozens of deadly strikes across Gaza, killing at least 36 Palestinians, including women and children, according to the strip’s Hamas-run health authorities. It was the most serious challenge to the fragile ceasefire.
Netanyahu defended the military’s actions, saying that Israel will not tolerate attacks against them and will “respond according to our own discretion against attacks.”
“Of course, we also thwart dangers as they are being formed, before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday.
Netanyahu also stressed that Israel remained in charge of its own security, after accusations last week that the Trump administration was dictating terms of Israel’s response to security concerns in Gaza. Vice President JD Vance denied any such speculation during his visit.
What kind of attorney general announces a supposedly secret plan before it’s over?
Getty Images
Intolerable
Ken Paxton is the most incompetent attorney general Texas has ever had. His announcement of an undercover operation to infiltrate so-called “leftist” groups proves it. (Oct. 12, 1C, “Ken Paxton is absolutely ridiculous. It’s because he’s losing”)
Such operations should not be disclosed until an investigation concludes. Paxton risks endangering law enforcement officers. I hope the groups he’s targeting sue to stop his attempts to distract voters from his scandals.
In 2027, he should be out of office. What he has done as an elected official would not be tolerated elsewhere.
– John Davis,Fort Worth
‘Not for me’
I agree with the Star-Telegram’s Oct. 12 editorial on Pride Kel-So (C6, “How Tarrant leaders should have responded to church pride event”). Tarrant County Commissioner Matt Krause, Judge Tim O’Hare and Keller Mayor Armin Mizani could have said simply that the LGBTQ-friendly event at a Southlake church “is not for me” and moved on instead of turning it into a controversy.
I also appreciate how the editorial emphasized that Pride events aren’t inherently sexual and compared their level of innuendo to classic cartoons such as Looney Tunes. This comparison clearly puts things into perspective, showing how unreasonable it is to condemn events such as Pride Kel-So as inappropriate for children, when they’re no more suggestive than the cartoons many kids watch.
– Marshall Carroll,Fort Worth
Credit due
I’m a proud liberal who always votes for the Democratic candidate in the hopes of building a better nation and society for our future, and I despise most of President Donald Trump’s behavior and actions. But he deserves congratulations for helping implement the hostage exchange in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and I hope he continues working to bring peace to the Middle East.
Now, if he would stop using the U.S. military to patrol American cities, that would be nice, too.
– Mark Bauer,Haslet
Medicare reality
Merrill Matthews wrote in the Oct. 12 guest commentary ”Medicare Part D premiums are soaring under Biden’s IRA now” (6C) that the average monthly cost now is $179.45 and is expected to jump next year to $239.27.
My wife and I, age 71 and 77 respectively, have been on Part D for six years, and each pays less than $90 per month. No co-pays have suddenly appeared where there were none before.
Matthews obviously has a political agenda, but it does not jibe with the facts of our cases.
– Tracey Smith,Fort Worth
Real impact
U.S. Rep. Craig Goldman’s paltry concession of halting his paycheck during the government shutdown pales compared with the dark times that will be upon us with the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill. (Oct. 10, 1A, “2 area congressmen pause paychecks during shutdown”)
Goldman will receive back pay once the shutdown is over. Why doesn’t he offer to really make a difference by putting it into a fund l to help the thousands of his constituents who will lose Medicaid and food-assistance benefits?
– Preston Matthiesen,Fort Worth
Leftist wishes
Senate Democrats have fully exposed their true colors, voting many times to keep the government shut down. This is a crisis intentionally created by Democrats to hold the American people hostage for a left-wing wish list. .
For weeks, Democrats have put their priorities ahead of hardworking Americans. President Donald Trump and budget director Russ Vought are using every tool they can to secure pay for our troops, Border Patrol, law enforcement officers and essential services.
Texans appreciate Sen. Ted Cruz for holding Senate Democrats’ feet to the fire to pass a clean resolution to keep the government open. Trump and Vought are fighting to ensure the federal government serves the American people, not Democratic political games and interests.
Anat Angrest talked during a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Saturday, demanding the release of the remaining Gaza hostages.
Released hostage Matan Angrest “was forced to endure horrific interrogations in the tunnel basements while severely wounded, bleeding, hovering between life and death for long months,” his mother, Anat, said during a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding the release of the remaining Gaza hostages.
“His body bears scars of courage, scars that, as a mother, I find difficult to look at and to imagine what he went through,” she continued. “He still doesn’t tell me everything; he protects me. He says, ‘Leave it, Mom, the main thing is I’m here.’ But his eyes fill with tears when he remembers that Itay Chen is still there. At every opportunity, he says he wants to put on his uniform and bring him back,” she said.
The demonstration was held in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv alongside families of the remaining 13 deceased hostages, recently freed hostage, their families, and friends.
“We will never be whole again, but we can be a people who have healed,” Noam Katz, daughter of Lior Rudaeff, said. “A people who choose life, who choose light, a people who choose not to give up hope. This is my dream. This is our promise.”
Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife to Omri Miran, said that “Omri is home tonight watching over our daughters. This picture is no longer a dream – it’s reality, and it’s thanks to you, good people.”
“You stood with us, marched with us, and prayed with us. You opened doors to the highest halls of power and the smallest houses of worship. You ensured the voices of our loved ones were heard even when the world turned away,” Moshe, Omri’s brother, added.
Eitan Horn at the hostage demonstration with his brothers Amos and Iair Horn, October 25, 2025. (credit: Paulina Patimer)
Those in attendance also include recently freed hostage Eitan Horn, accompanied by his brother Amos and Iair Horn, the latter also being released from Hamas captivity in February of this year.
Other participants included family members of former hostages who were released in the US-brokered hostage, ceasefire deal.
Kibbutz Nir Oz demands return of remaining hostages
Another protest was held in Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside the Tel Aviv demonstration, with the main demand also being the return of all 13 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas.
“My grandfather survived about four months in the Hamas tunnels in deplorable conditions, with very little food and water and no medical care at the age of 85,” said Gali Nochomovitz, granddaughter of hostage Amiram Cooper.
She added, “Grandma returned with a broken shoulder. While she was in captivity, Grandpa took care of her. He helped her do everything, even though he was also in a bad mental and physical health condition. On the day of her release, my grandfather was the one who told her that she was coming home. And literally within a few moments, the terrorists took Grandma, and they didn’t have time to say goodbye. And from there they parted ways.”
True, my grandfather’s time is over, but my time and my family’s time have come to a halt. It is our duty to return all 13 martyrs who remained in captivity and not leave anyone behind. Not to leave any family behind. We deserve certainty; he deserves a proper and dignified burial on the land of the kibbutz he loved so much. We will not stop fighting, Grandpa. Until the last captive!”
Other participants included Zamir Haimi, uncle of Tal Haimi, a member of the Nir Yitzhak readiness class who had recently returned to Israel; Silvia Cuneo, mother of the former hostages David and Ariel Cuneo; and Renana Gome-Yaakov, mother of the former hostages Or and Gil Yaakov.
A Louisiana man accused of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel faced a judge on Wednesday. CBS News national reporter Kati Weis has the latest.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said Israel has a legal obligation to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by the UN and its entities to ensure the basic needs of Palestinian civilians there are met.
An advisory opinion from the UN’s top court also said Israel had not substantiated its allegations that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) lacked neutrality or that a significant number of its staff were members of Hamas or other armed groups.
The UN’s chief said he hoped Israel would abide by the “very important decision”.
But Israel rejected the ICJ’s opinion as “political” and insisted it would not co-operate with Unrwa, which it has banned.
The opinion is non-binding, but it carries significant moral and diplomatic weight.
In December, the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ for an opinion on Israel’s obligations, as an occupying power and a member of the UN, towards UN agencies and other international organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
It came after the Israeli parliament passed laws banning any activity by Unrwa on Israeli territory and contact with Israeli officials.
The ICJ was asked to also cover in its opinion Israel’s duty to allow the unhindered delivery of essential supplies to Palestinian civilians.
Israel tightened its blockade on Gaza after the start of its war with Hamas two years ago and has since restricted – and at times completely stopped – the entry of food and other aid for the 2.1 million population.
Before this month’s ceasefire deal took effect, UN-backed global experts had warned that more than 640,000 people were facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and that there was an “entirely man-made” famine in Gaza City.
Israel rejected the famine declaration, insisting it was allowing in sufficient food.
The ICJ’s President Yuji Iwasawa read out its advisory opinion at The Hague on Wednesday.
He said the panel of 11 international judges agreed that Israel, as an occupying power, was required to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The first obligation was to “ensure that the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and services”, according to the judge.
The second was to “agree to and facilitate by all means at its disposal relief schemes on behalf of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory so long as that population is inadequately supplied, as has been the case in the Gaza Strip”.
The other obligations listed included respecting the prohibitions on forcible transfer from an occupied territory and on the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
Judge Iwasawa said the panel were also of the opinion that Israel had “an obligation to co-operate in good faith with the United Nations by providing every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, including [Unrwa]”.
Israel was also obliged to ensure “full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations” and its officials, as well as for the “inviolability of the premises of the United Nations… and for the immunity of the property and assets of the organisation from any form of interference”, he added.
Yuji Iwasawa, the president of the International Court of Justice, read out the advisory opinion [Reuters]
When asked about the advisory opinion in Geneva, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: “This is a very important decision. And I hope that Israel will abide by it.”
He added that the advisory opinion came at a moment in which the UN was doing everything it could to boost aid deliveries to Gaza and deal with the “tragic situation” there.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the advisory opinion, describing it as “entirely predictable from the outset regarding Unrwa”.
“This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of ‘international law’,” it added.
The ministry also said Israel was fully upholding its obligations under international law and that it would “not co-operate with an organisation that is infested with terror activities”.
Unrwa – the largest humanitarian organisation in Gaza, with 12,000 Palestinian staff based there – has repeatedly denied Israel’s allegation that it is deeply infiltrated by Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US, UK and other countries.
Israel has said that Unrwa staff took part in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken to Gaza as hostages, and claimed that the agency still employs more than 1,400 “Hamas operatives”.
The UN said last year that it had fired nine of Unrwa’s staff in Gaza after investigators found evidence that they might have been involved in the 7 October attack. Another 10 staff were cleared because of insufficient evidence.
Judge Iwasawa said the information the ICJ received was “not sufficient to establish Unrwa’s lack of neutrality”, and that Israel had “not substantiated its allegations that a significant part of Unrwa employees ‘are members of Hamas… or other terrorist factions'”.
The UN’s World Food Programme said on Tuesday that around 750 tonnes of supplies a day were crossing into Gaza under the ceasefire deal [Reuters]
Since the Israeli laws banning Unrwa took effect in January, the agency says its Palestinian staff have continued providing assistance and education, health and other services to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
However, the agency says Israel has banned it from bringing aid into Gaza and stopped issuing visas to Unrwa’s international staff.
Unrwa says at least 309 of its staff and 72 people supporting the agency’s activities have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza. The territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says Israeli attacks during the conflict have killed at least 68,229 people in total.
Unrwa’s acting Gaza director, Sam Rose, told the BBC that the agency welcomed the advisory opinion because it “underscores the obligations of Israel under international law”.
“The ruling of today says that Israel’s laws against Unrwa have gone against those obligations, as have its actions on the ground,” he said.
The Palestinian foreign ministry said the advisory opinion made “very clear that Israel must cease these illegal policies and that states have an obligation to bring Israel into compliance with its obligations in this regard”.
“Israel must immediately lift the unlawful ban on Unrwa and allow all other international organisations invited by Palestine to operate freely and safely,” it added.
Footage of his capture on October 7 showed 86-year-old Zalamanowicz on the back of a motorcycle, flanked by his captors seated in front and behind him.
Arie Zalamanowicz, one of the founders of kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken from his home on the morning of the October 7 massacre in 2023 by Hamas terrorists rampaging through the kibbutz.
According to testimonies by relatives, Arie was hiding in a secure room on October 7 when he was found by the attackers. He was taken into the Gaza Strip without his glasses or hearing aid.
Zalamanowicz wounded, bloodied as he is taken on motorcycle through Gaza
Footage of his capture first shared by N12 showed 86-year-old Zalamanowicz on the back of a motorcycle, flanked by his captors seated in front and behind him.
In the video, as the group moved through the streets, dozens of people attempted to get closer to the motorcycle. Some struck Zalamanowicz, and in the video, he suffered a visible head wounded with his clothing covered in bloodstains. A tractor with an Israeli license plate was seen leading the procession.
According to accounts shared by N12 from hostages who were later released, Arie faced severe difficulties while held in Gaza. Hamas published a video in November 2023 showing him in critical condition. In the video, he was seen lying on a bed connected to a monitor and expressed that he wasn’t feeling well.
In later footage, he was seen motionless and wrapped in a white sheet.
A woman holds up a poster of Israeli hostage Arie Zalamanowicz, who died in Hamas captivity, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 7, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/TOMER NEUBERG)
On December 1, 2023, kibbutz Nir Oz shared that the family was informed by the IDF that Arie was murdered by his Hamas captors, who continued to hold his remains in Gaza for over two years.
A widower, father of two, and grandfather of five, Arie was born in Haifa before moving to the Gaza border and working in agriculture at kibbutz Nir Oz. Prior to his abduction, he was active and independent and regularly socialized with younger farmers.
Vice President JD Vance, as well as President Trump’s negotiating team — his son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff — were all in Israel on Tuesday, trying to shore up the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Before he left for Israel, Vance said bumps in the road to peace were expected.
“There are gonna be fits and starts,” Vance told reporters. “Hamas is gonna fire on Israel, Israel’s gonna have to respond, of course.”
Hamas has denied responsibility for an alleged RPG attack that killed two Israeli soldiers over the weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that it was a Hamas attack, and that the Israeli military responded to the alleged ceasefire violation by dropping almost 169 tons of bombs in Gaza.
“One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace,” Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday. “You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today Israel is stronger than ever before.”
The Israeli strikes killed at least 45 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory.
President Trump warned Hamas on Monday against breaching the deal that took months to negotiate.
“They’re gonna behave, they’re gonna be nice,” he said. “And if they’re not, we’re gonna go and eradicate them if we have to.”
Kushner and Witkoff met Monday with Netanyahu, and the Israeli leader’s office said Vance would also meet him this week. The vice president and second lady Usha Vance were greeted upon their arrival Tuesday by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Israel’s Minister of Justice Yariv Levin.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives at Ben Gurion airport, Oct. 21, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Nathan Howard/Pool/Getty
Vance was scheduled to have a working lunch with Witkoff and Kushner on Tuesday before his meeting with Netanyahu.
The peace process has taken incremental steps forward despite the weekend violence, with Israel returning the remains of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Tuesday following the handover by Hamas on Monday evening of the body of another deceased hostage. As part of the peace deal, a total of 165 Palestinians’ bodies have now been returned to Gaza, many of them former detainees, while all 20 living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas, along with the remains of 13 deceased captives.
But despite those steps, the long-term viability of Mr. Trump’s peace plan, which he’s said will end nearly eight decades of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians, remains less certain.
Ex-Israeli official casts doubt on prospects for Trump’s peace plan
Some Israelis remain skeptical that the Israeli prime minister is genuinely interested in a lasting peace. Among them is fierce Netanyahu critic Alon Pinkas, who served as an advisor to four Israeli foreign ministers.
He told CBS News that Netanyahu signed the peace deal brokered by Mr. Trump, but never really backed its core purpose, or Mr. Trump’s stated goal of securing an enduring peace in the heart of the Middle East.
“This was an agreement he was bullied into,” Pinkas said. “This is an agreement he signed under duress, and now he is developing a new scheme to manipulate Trump.”
Pinkas credited Mr. Trump for doing “something that his predecessors were disinclined or hesitant to do, and that is exert real pressure” on Israel’s leader.
“It worked, but it only worked for the first phase,” Pinkas said, referring to the living Israeli hostages being released and the ceasefire coming into effect.
He said after the weekend’s violence that the deal had been “ostensibly restored, but when Netanyahu says, ‘I’m restoring the ceasefire,’ it’s only because there’s a visit here of the vice president, JD Vance, and because the U.S. sent its envoy.”
Pinkas said he was certain Israeli forces would resume operations in Gaza within days, noting they remained deployed in about half of the Palestinian territory.
Israeli soldiers stand next to vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Oct. 19, 2025.
Amir Cohen/REUTERS
“The hostages are no longer in danger because they were freed, and Hamas was not decisively destroyed, as Mr. Netanyahu promised and boasted and bragged for two years, so I see a serious incentive for Mr. Netanyahu to resume” an offensive against Hamas, Pinkas told CBS News. “Maybe not on a huge scale, given the agreement, but I do see … a local skirmish that becomes a wider flare-up, that then deteriorates or escalates into a full Israeli military operation.”
Hamas’ top negotiator said Tuesday that the group remained committed to the ceasefire agreement. But President Trump’s peace plan calls for the demilitarization of Gaza, and many analysts, including Pinkas, have doubts that Hamas will willingly hand over all its weapons.
“That’s probably the biggest flaw in the agreement,” said Pinkas. “The agreement in and of itself is a good agreement, but in order for an agreement like that to work, it requires good faith, good will, and trust. None of these ingredients exist. In fact, both sides have a vested interest in not progressing beyond the ceasefire.”
“Hamas wants to lure Israel inside [Gaza] into a de-facto occupation, and mount an insurgency and show to the Palestinians that they are the real resistance. And Netanyahu wants to go in because he knows that if everything stops now and there is progress into the next phases, that almost inevitably means that he will be deemed as the guy who failed to defeat Hamas.”
Pinkas said that while the past two years of war have left Hamas defeated militarily and degraded, “Hamas is not done. Hamas are there, and you see those pictures every day. You show them on CBS — Hamas gangs walking around in battle fatigues, armed. That’s not going to cut it politically for Mr. Netanyahu.”
An armed Hamas militant stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle arrives to receive the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, in Gaza City, Oct. 14, 2025.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
Speaking in a recent interview with CBS News’ Tony Dokoupil, Netanyahu said his government had agreed “to give peace a chance,” but he noted that the conditions of Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan “are very clear — it’s not only that we get the hostages out without getting our military out, but that we would subsequently have both demilitarization and disarmament. They’re not the same thing. First Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There’s no smuggling of weapons into Gaza.”
“We also agreed: Okay, let’s get the first part done. Now let’s give a chance to do the second part peacefully, which is my hope,” the Israeli leader told CBS News.
The remains of another deceased hostage crossed into Israel after being handed over to the Red Cross on Monday evening local time, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement posted on social media.
There were thought to be 16 remains of deceased hostages still in Gaza before this handover, with 12 confirmed sets of remains already transferred.
The individual’s identity wasn’t immediately known. The IDF asked that the “public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families.”
“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” it said in an earlier statement.
The return of all the hostages — 20 living and 28 dead — is a cornerstone of the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan. Hamas was supposed to have completed the handover by Monday, Oct. 13, but only returned the 20 living hostages by that deadline.
The return of the remains on Monday comes after senior envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday to try to keep the peace process on track following a bout of violence over the weekend.
Netanyahu said Monday the military dropped almost 169 tons of bombs in the Gaza Strip over the weekend. The IDF said it launched the strikes after two soldiers were killed when Hamas operatives opened fire with an RPG. Hamas has rejected Israel’s claim that it was involved in that attack.
The skies over Gaza were quiet again Monday, and both sides recommitted to the peace process.
Vice President JD Vance was due to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Trump’s two peace envoys later this week. Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu’s office, said Monday that Vance and his wife are expected to be in Israel “for a few days and will be meeting with the prime minister,” but neither she nor the White House have confirmed dates for the visit.
The IDF said on Monday it was marking a so-called “yellow line” – the line to which Israeli troops withdrew as part of the peace plan.
