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Following consultations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to begin 'forceful strikes' in the Gaza Strip starting immediately. Hamas said that it is delaying the return of a hostage's body it found on Tuesday, citing 'violations' of the cease-fire by Israel
In the face of testimonies showing political executions and the torture of civilians in Gaza by Hamas, the silence of major human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch is both puzzling and outrageous – and endangers Palestinian lives
Searches for the bodies of hostages are reportedly taking place in Rafah and Khan Yunis, using heavy equipment. Hamas has repeatedly said efforts to retrieve remains face challenges because of the massive destruction
The organization's top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya reiterated the group's efforts to locate the bodies, as Trump hinted that Hamas is not returning some they can return, and warned that other countries involved in the peace agreement could take action if Hamas does not cooperate
Despite fearing a deliberate delay by Hamas in returning the bodies of hostages still held in Gaza, Israel cannot independently determine that Hamas is violating the cease-fire, and international parties are rushing to expedite the search before moving on to the next phase of Trump's plan for Gaza
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump issued a stern warning to Hamas, urging the group to begin returning the bodies of deceased hostages, including those of two Americans
The U.S. Secretary of State said that if Hamas refuses to disarm, it would constitute a violation of the Trump plan, but would not say how Israel and the U.S. would respond in such a case. Rubio declined to say which countries would participate in the International Stabilization Force
The source added that 'there's no absolute certainty that the move will be carried out.' Currently, 13 bodies remain in Hamas captivity
Vance came to steady the cease-fire and pin blame on Hamas, while his talk of Israeli 'impatience' hinted at Washington's unease with Netanyahu's next move
According to Israel military sources, Hamas has staffed senior government positions and its police forces are operating on the ground. At the same time, fear is growing of clashes between soldiers and residents who will move toward the Yellow Line - the IDF withdrawal line - due to the insurmountable congestion
Violent clashes between Hamas forces and local armed fighters have broken out across Gaza in recent days. Opponents of Hamas describe it as an act of intimidation and attempt to assert control on the ground before the arrival of an Arab or international force
Now, less than a week after the remaining living hostages returned, the signs indicate that we are continuing to react in line with the glorious traditions of our past. Hamas is brandishing its arms and eliminating the militias that Israel established and armed for the purpose of challenging its rule
Intelligence assessments by the IDF and Shin Bet indicate that Hamas knows the locations of most of the remains but has lost track of a few, despite Hamas' Wednesday statement that it has handed over all the bodies it could locate
By isolating Gaza from the West Bank and Palestinians from their land, Israel helped entrench Hamas and erase political alternatives. Even if the dream of luxury villas in Gaza has vanished, the logic behind it remains: control of territory, indirect expulsion, and the continued suffocation of the Palestinian people under the guise of security
Three emotional days have passed for the Cohen family since their son, Nimrod, was freed from Hamas captivity on Monday. In an interview with Haaretz, his brother Yotam said that the struggle isn't over yet, as 19 deceased hostages remain in Gaza
One foreign official said Israel is still committed to the agreement and had also been aware in advance that Hamas would have difficulty returning the bodies of deceased hostages within days, but expected Hamas to return more than nine bodies by Thursday
Trump's plan for Gaza leaves an opening for Hamas to become an unarmed political movement. Israel must prepare for the possibility that, just as Trump legitimized Al-Sharaa's terrorist militias in Syria and signed agreements with the Taliban in Afghanistan, he might well view Hamas, too, as a 'deserving' organization if it just agrees to disarm
'It's beginning to look like a massacre there,' one IDF officer said. According to another officer, Israeli soldiers can see from observation posts that armed Hamas members are shooting at Palestinians who have tried to resist them – or who are suspected of assisting Israel – but have been instructed not to intervene
In August 2024, Haaretz reported that Palestinians have been used by Israeli army units in the Gaza Strip as human shields for soldiers during operations. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the body was an IDF soldier abducted during a Hamas operation in May 2024
Trump was asked whether he had personally spoken with Hamas, which he later denied, following reports that his envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, negotiated directly with the group to reach a cease-fire deal. He said the talks occurred 'through my people, at the highest level, and were meant for me'
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