Israel is demanding that Hamas hand over the remains of hostages still held in Gaza, as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed that “nobody is getting left behind,” underscoring Washington’s continued commitment to recovering every captive and fallen Israeli taken during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.
Israel announced Tuesday it would not reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as planned under the ceasefire agreement, accusing Hamas of failing to fulfill its obligation to return the bodies of all slain hostages still held in Gaza.
All 20 living Israeli hostages freed by Hamas on Monday have been transferred to hospitals in central Israel aboard Israeli Air Force helicopters, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. The final helicopters departed from the Re’im base near Gaza carrying released captives including Matan Zangauker, Maxim Herkin, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Evyatar David, Eitan Horn, and brothers David and Ariel Cunio.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump arrived in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Monday while the release of the last 20 living hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, was underway.
Hamas says the release of the remaining Israeli hostages will begin on Monday morning. “According to a written deal, the exchange of prisoners will start on Monday morning, as agreed,” confirmed Hamas official Osama Hamdan.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet early Friday approved a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework that aims to end active hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, despite unified opposition from far-right coalition partners.
Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel on Tuesday after fire from Gaza as Israelis began to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Hamas has announced it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages, both alive and dead, and hand over governance of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats under a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC on Wednesday that the group is likely to reject U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled 20-point ceasefire and peace proposal for Gaza, saying the package “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people.”
The White House is preparing to host a pivotal summit Wednesday as President Donald Trump seeks to present a “comprehensive plan” for Gaza’s future, with his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff underscoring the administration’s insistence on full hostage freedom and Hamas accountability.
The Israeli military confirmed Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) eliminated Mahmoud al-Aswad, Hamas’s General Security Apparatus leader in western Gaza, in a targeted strike carried out last Friday.
Israel’s government has agreed on a controversial deal with Hamas that would ensure the release of more than 50 hostages, mostly women and children, within four days in exchange for a pause in the fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners.