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
Trump meets with hostage families before addressing Knesset
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of hostages before Trump’s address to the Knesset.
Massive crowds greet released Palestinians in West Bank
Released Palestinian prisoners were greeted by massive, jubilant crowds -- with people held back by law enforcement -- as they exited Red Cross busses in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.
Israel must translate battlefield victories into lasting peace, Trump to say
President Donald Trump will say in his speech to Israel’s Knesset on Monday, “Israel has won all that can be won by force of arms. Now, it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
As Gaza heads forward, Trump will say, “The total focus of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development, so they can finally have the better life their children deserve.”
A Hamas spokesperson in a statement said the militant group welcomed Trump's address in Jerusalem, saying that "all mediators and international parties" should continue monitoring "to ensure that [Israel's] aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip is not resumed.
Some freed hostages moving to hospitals
Some of the freed Israeli hostages are headed to hospitals to reunite with the rest of their family members and get continued medical treatment, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said.