U.S. officials -- including Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- traveled to Israel this week for high-level meetings, discussing the next steps in the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by withholding the bodies of the remaining 13 deceased hostages thought to have died during or after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has said the return of the remaining bodies "may take some time" due to the destruction.
Trump says he gave Hamas 'approval' to serve as police force for a time
A reporter asked President Donald Trump about his message to Hamas following reports of the group rearming themselves as a Palestinian police force during the ceasefire agreement. Trump responded, "We gave them approval for a period of time."
"They do want to stop the problems, and they've been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time," he said of Hamas.
“We want it to be safe. I think it's going to be fine,” he said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
-ABC News' Fritz Farrow
Oct 13, 2025, 3:26 PM GMT
Coffins with 2 deceased hostages transferred to Red Cross, heading to IDF forces in Gaza
The coffins of two of the 28 deceased hostages still in Gaza have been transferred to the Red Cross and are “on their way” to Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, the IDF said in a statement.
“Following this, there will be an additional transfer of another two coffins of deceased hostages,” the IDF said.
The Hostage Families Forum said they learned that only four of the 28 hostage bodies will be returned on Monday, and the group blasted Hamas for its “blatant breach of the agreement.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the return of only four bodies is a “failure to meet commitments” of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, and he said “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”
Oct 13, 2025, 3:13 PM GMT
Trump arrives in Egypt for peace summit, says phase 2 of ceasefire negotiations has started
President Donald Trump has arrived in Egypt where he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi are co-chairing an international peace summit.
President Trump's main locations in Israel and Egypt during Israel and Gaza Peace Plan
Google Earth
Trump will attend a ceremony to mark the signing of phase one of the ceasefire agreement.
Before the signing, as Trump sat with El-Sisi, he said that phase two of ceasefire negotiations has started.
President Donald Trump talks with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Evan Vucci/AP
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meets President Donald Trump ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
"The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other," Trump said, adding, "You’re gonna start cleaning up. You look at Gaza, it needs a lot of cleanup."
A reporter asked Trump what the next steps are now that the living hostages have been returned, and the president responded, "They're looking for bodies ... they're gonna be finding quite a few of them."
Sitting alongside Trump were White House special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who Witkoff praised for his work in the negotiations.
The summit is being attended by leaders from more than 20 countries, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency said, and it aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability."
Oct 13, 2025, 2:16 PM GMT
Red Cross heading to pick up 'a number of' coffins of deceased hostages
The Israel Defense Forces said the Red Cross is heading to pick up "a number of coffins of deceased hostages."
The Hostage Families Forum said they’ve learned that only four of the 28 bodies of hostages still believed to be in Gaza will be returned on Monday.
