Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies
The bodies of 13 deceased hostages are believed to still be in Gaza.
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.
Key Headlines
- Egyptian resources deployed in Gaza to help locate, recover Israeli hostage remains
- Netanyahu says Israel, not US, will decide security policy
- Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies 'quickly’
- Rubio says West Bank annexation would 'threaten this whole process'
- Aid allowed into Gaza is still falling short of what is needed, WHO head says
Remains of 2 hostages identified, Israel says
Israeli officials on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of two hostages whose remains were returned to Israel on Monday.
The remains of Guy Iluz and Bipin Joshi were among the four deceased hostages who were transferred back to Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said on social media.
The names of the two others whose remains were transferred had not yet been "cleared for publication," the IDF said.
Joshi, a Nepalese agriculture student who was in Israel to study, was one of two hostages previously thought to be alive following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, according to Israeli officials.
Joshi's name had not been included in the list of 20 living hostages published by Hamas. He was 23 when he was abducted, the IDF said.
"It is assessed that he was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war," the IDF said on Tuesday.
Iluz was "abducted alive and injured by Hamas after escaping the Nova music festival," the IDF said.
"Guy died from his wounds after not receiving proper medical treatment while held captive. He was 26 years old at his death," the IDF said on Tuesday.
Biden commends Trump for getting ceasefire deal 'over the finish line'
Former President Joe Biden commended President Donald Trump and his administration's work getting the ceasefire agreement "over the finish line."
"The road to this deal was not easy," Biden said on social media. "My Administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war. I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line."
Biden also expressed his hope that the Middle East is on a path to enduring peace and "a future for Israelis and Palestinians alike with equal measures of peace, dignity, and safety."
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
4 coffins of deceased hostages taken to forensic center
Four coffins of deceased hostages have been taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Israel, according to the Israeli Police.
"Forensic Identification officers and volunteers from the Police Dental Identification Unit are prepared to carry out the identification alongside medical and forensic authorities," the Israeli Police spokesperson’s unit said in a statement.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
Egypt awards Trump highest state honor for 'contributions to promoting peace'
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has awarded the Nile Collar -- Egypt's highest state honor -- to President Donald Trump for “his significant contributions to promoting peace, resolving conflicts, and most recently, his pivotal role in ending the war in Gaza,” El-Sisi’s office said in a statement.
At Monday's peace summit, El-Sisi said the award is presented “in recognition of President Trump’s efforts” and is typically reserved for heads of state who provide “distinguished services to humanity.”