JERSUSALEM: The families of Israeli hostages Monday called for the next phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire to be delayed until Hamas returns the bodies of its remaining dead captives, even as Egyptian rescuers joined the hunt for them. &quot;Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity,&quot; the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. &quot;The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel,&quot; the association said. On October 10, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, ending the Gaza war, which was triggered by the Palestinian group&#39;s cross-border attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel. Hamas also took 251 people hostage during the attack. Israel&#39;s subsequent assault on Gaza killed at least 68,527 people, according to figures from the territory&#39;s health ministry that the UN considers reliable. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States and mediators Qatar and Egypt, Hamas has released its remaining 20 living hostages and the remains of 15 of the 28 that Israel had already confirmed dead. Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire and insists it is trying to return 13 more bodies -- 11 more Israelis and two workers from Thailand and Tanzania -- but that the search has been hampered by the destruction wrought on Gaza during the war. In a statement to media on Saturday, lead Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said: &quot;There are challenges in locating the bodies of Israeli captives because the occupation has altered the terrain of Gaza. &quot;Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them.&quot; <h2 style="text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Search for bodies</h2>In the past two days, Egypt has sent recovery crews and heavy earth-moving equipment into Gaza, with Israeli approval, to help with the recovery operation. Israeli spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said a team of Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers and a Hamas member were searching for bodies and had been allowed to cross the so-called Yellow Line into the area of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. &quot;The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the Yellow Line position in Gaza under close (Israeli army) supervision to identify the location of our hostages,&quot; Bedrosian told journalists. A Red Cross spokesperson also confirmed it was part of the search team. No firm timescale has been put on the next stages of the Gaza truce plan, but US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration is working to set up an international security force with troops from Arab and Muslim nations to police the truce. Israel has voiced strong opposition to Turkey&rsquo;s participation in the proposed security force. At a news conference in Budapest, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had &quot;led a hostile approach against Israel, that included not only hostile statements, but also diplomatic and economic measures against Israel&quot;. &quot;So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends,&quot; he added. The US military has also set up a coordination centre in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and to coordinate aid and reconstruction, but aid agencies are pushing for greater access for humanitarian convoys inside Gaza. Israel has withdrawn its forces from Gaza&#39;s main cities, but still controls around half of the territory from positions on the Yellow Line, and has resisted calls to allow aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Defence Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said Israel has lifted the state of emergency for areas near the border with Gaza for the first time since the October 2023 attack.

Middle East

Families of Israeli hostages urged delaying the next Gaza ceasefire phase until Hamas returns all bodies, as Egypt and Red Cross teams join searches amid ongoing disputes over truce enforcement and security arrangements

Families of missing Israeli hostages demand delay in Gaza truce plan

GAZA: A senior Hamas official on Sunday said the Palestinian militant group is eager to reach an agreement to end the war and implement a prisoner swap with Israel, as negotiators converge in Egypt for talks. Israeli and Hamas negotiators are set to iron out details during talks in Egypt in a bid to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, after Hamas approved a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. Hamas negotiators travelling from Doha are expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday before heading to Sharm el-Sheikh to participate in indirect negotiations with the Israeli delegation, the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the matter. &quot;Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;The occupation must not obstruct the implementation of President Trump&#39;s plan. If the occupation has genuine intentions to reach an agreement, Hamas is ready.&quot; A Palestinian source close to Hamas told AFP that the two delegations would be in the same building but away from media coverage. &quot;The negotiations aim to discuss the timeline for preparing field conditions for the transfer of captives held in Gaza, as a prelude to launching the prisoner exchange process,&quot; he added. &quot;During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is essential for Israel to halt military operations across all areas of the Gaza Strip, cease all air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and withdraw from inside Gaza City,&quot; the source said. &quot;In parallel with the cessation of Israeli military activity, Hamas and the resistance factions will also halt their military operations and actions,&quot; he added. The talks are also expected to include discussions of maps to be provided by Israel showing withdrawal routes and timelines, which will coincide with the prisoner exchange process, the source said. The Hamas delegation will also present lists of Palestinian prisoners who must be released by Israel in return for the Israeli captives, he said. According to Trump&#39;s plan, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7, 2023.

A Palestinian flag stained with red paint is carried aloft during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla after their ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy. (AP)

Hamas says it is keen to start a prisoner exchange with Israel immediately as talks begin in Egypt under Trump’s Gaza peace plan conditions.

Hamas keen to reach deal, begin prisoner exchange 'immediately': official

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza &ldquo;in the coming days,&rdquo; as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt &ldquo;to finalize technical details,&rdquo; adding that &ldquo;our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Netanyahu signaled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. &ldquo;(Doubters) told me it&rsquo;s too good to be true. It&rsquo;s true. And with God&rsquo;s help, it will happen very soon,&rdquo; he said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the US plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group&#39;s statement but on Saturday warned that &ldquo;Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel&#39;s army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the US plan&#39;s first phase. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City&#39;s Tuffah neighborhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. &ldquo;The strikes are still ongoing,&rdquo; Naim said. Israel&#39;s military said it struck a Hamas member and &ldquo;regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah earlier Saturday said Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Momentum ahead of war&rsquo;s anniversary</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the attack that sparked it. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu&#39;s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The indirect talks on Monday are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A senior Egyptian official said US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the US negotiating team. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn&rsquo;t authorized to brief the media. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The official also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza&#39;s future. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas&rsquo; response to the Trump plan. The group had rejected the proposal days earlier. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Progress, but uncertainty ahead</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages &mdash; around 20 of them believed to be alive &mdash; within three days. It also would give up power and disarm. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its statement also didn&#39;t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing, a key part of the deal. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel&rsquo;s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn&#39;t lay down its arms.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Others said that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This &ldquo;yes, but&quot; rhetoric &quot;simply repackages old demands in softer language,&quot; said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

Fire and smoke rises following an Israeli army shelling in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war.

Netanyahu hopes to release hostages from Gaza 'in coming days'

GAZA CITY: Hamas&#39; armed wing said on Sunday that it had lost contact with two hostages during intensified Israeli strikes in Gaza City over the past 48 hours. &quot;The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades announce the loss of contact with the two prisoners ... due to the brutal military operations and violent attacks in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighbourhoods over the past 48 hours,&quot; the group said in a statement, referring to areas where Israeli forces have stepped up air and ground assaults.

Hamas said that it had lost contact with two hostages as a result of the intensified Israeli strikes 

Articles tagged with "Hostages"

Families of missing Israeli hostages demand delay in Gaza truce plan

Hamas keen to reach deal, begin prisoner exchange 'immediately': official

Netanyahu hopes to release hostages from Gaza 'in coming days'

Hamas: 'lost contact with two hostages' due to Israeli strikes