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
Hamas to return a body to Israel today
Hamas will return a body of an “Israeli captive” at 8 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Hamas said.
The body was found in Gaza on Sunday, Hamas said. The body will be returned through the same procedure previous bodies have: by handing the deceased from Hamas to Red Cross officials to the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, Hamas said.
57 deaths at Gaza hospitals in the last day
Hospitals in Gaza recorded 57 Palestinian deaths over the last 24 hours due to strikes from the Israel Defense Forces, Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health said. Out of those 57 people, 45 were directly targeted by the strikes and 12 people were recovered from under the rubble.
Another 158 people were taken to hospitals in Gaza with injuries, the Ministry of Health said.
Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Israel, sources say
United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Senior Advisor to the U.S. President Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Jordana Miller
IDF warns Hamas to immediately leave controlled area
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz asked the Israel Defense Forces to send a clear message to Hamas, urging their forces to immediately leave areas beyond the Yellow Line, adding that anyone who remain in the area will be targeted.
The IDF said it now believes the deadly attack in Rafah on Sunday was carried out by militants still in tunnels under Rafah, which is why Katz is calling for Hamas to evacuate the area controlled by IDF.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Jordana Miller