Oct. 14: Hostage families demand meeting with IDF chief over Hamas’s failure to hand over bodies

Smotrich: ‘There will be Jewish settlements in Gaza’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vows “there will be Jewish settlements in Gaza” during an address at a Simhat Torah event in the southern border city of Sderot.

The assertion comes days after a ceasefire deal was reached with Hamas in which IDF troops have withdrawn from parts of the Gaza Strip that were conquered during the war.

Smotrich charges that without settlements, Israel has no security.

“So, we have patience, but we have determination, and faith, and with God’s help, we will continue the series of victories, and the big miracles,” he says.

סמוטריץ׳ בהקפות שניות בשדרות: ״תהיה התיישבות יהודית בעזה! כי בלי התיישבות אין ביטחון״ pic.twitter.com/SCiniwLTbx

— מיכאל שמש Michael Shemesh (@shemeshmicha) October 14, 2025

IDF receives four caskets from Red Cross, apparently with the bodies of hostages

IDF troops in the Gaza Strip have received four caskets, with the apparent bodies of dead hostages, from the Red Cross a short while ago.

The Red Cross collected the caskets from Hamas in Gaza City.

The IDF is set to inspect the four caskets before draping them in Israeli flags and holding a short ceremony led by a military rabbi.

The remains will then be taken for identification to confirm they belong to slain hostages.

Hamas has not announced the identities of the hostages it handed over.

Anti-Israel protesters clash with police ahead of World Cup qualifier in Italy

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters hold the edge of a large Palestinian flag as they protest a soccer match between Italy and Israel for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, in Udine, northeastern Italy, on October 14, 2025. (Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

UDINE, Italy — Italy’s 2026 World Cup qualifier with Israel is prefaced by clashes between pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators and police as thousands of people marched through Udine in anger at the hosting of a match they felt should not be played.

Over 1,000 police officers and army personnel were deployed while helicopters and drones flew overhead to keep a watch on a demonstration, which was kept several kilometers away from the Bluenergy Stadium hosting the Group I fixture.

There was little chance of protesters reaching the stadium as checkpoints were put up in a ring around it, with spectators having to pass concrete barriers and metal detectors in order to watch a match, which is key to Italy’s bid to ensure they qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 2014.

The security operation was designed to stop rioting and ensure no one got near the ground or the Israeli team. The march started peacefully in warm autumn sunshine, but ended with police using a water cannon and tear gas on some of the marchers who threw rocks at officers.

There was little sign of violent disorder when the march started at around 6 p.m. local time (1600GMT), with the loudest noise coming from drumming and the sound systems, which accompanied people of all ages as they danced. They waved Palestinian flags and banners that read “show Israel the red card.”

“There are no more bombs, and that makes us happy, but the problem with this peace plan is that there is no talk of a Palestinian state,” says Amer Hasan, a 61-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank who has been in Italy since moving to study 42 years ago.

“There’s no talk of self-determination, no talk about the West Bank nor of the fate of Gaza… it seems like Gaza will be governed by Tony Blair and Donald Trump, without any involvement from the Palestinians.

“We shouldn’t be playing this match because a team that represents a nation that has committed a genocide is playing.”

Hasan is a representative of Palestinian communities in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, who, with four other associations, organized Tuesday’s march and welcomed more than 340 activist groups from all over Italy.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Ex-hostage to PM: Hamas chief told me I would be released first in deal since my father didn’t go to protests

Eitan Mor with his parents at the hospital following his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (Government Press Office)

During one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meetings with freed hostages at Beilinson Hospital today, former captive Eitan Mor told the premier that during his captivity in Gaza, a Hamas leader told him that he would have a better chance of being freed because his family had not taken part in protests pressuring the government to reach a hostage-ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister’s Office tells The Times of Israel, confirming a Ynet report.

According to the report, Mor told the premier that Izz al-Din al-Haddad — who previously commanded Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade and serves as the terror group’s de facto leader in the Strip — told him during captivity: “If anyone is going to be released first, it’s you. Your father doesn’t go out to protests anyway, so we’ll send you back first.”

Mor’s father, Zvika, heads the Tikva Forum, a smaller group of hostage families who — unlike members of the larger Hostages and Missing Families Forum — have opposed earlier deals that secured the release of only some hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.

Mor was freed on Monday, along with the 19 other remaining living hostages in Gaza.

Hostage families demand meeting with IDF chief over Hamas’s failure to hand over bodies

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is demanding a meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over Hamas’s failure to hand over the bodies of all hostages it is holding in Gaza.

“The families will demand from the chief of staff an explanation for why the IDF is continuing to implement the agreement normally, while there is a serious fear that the hostages will stay in captivity as Hamas blatantly violates the agreement that was signed,” a statement by the forum reads.

The families charge that the IDF is still acting like it was before the October 7, 2023, massacre, believing in Hamas’s word rather than understanding that it is a “deceitful and disgusting terror organization.”

IDF says Red Cross has collected four caskets from Hamas, apparently with bodies of hostages

The IDF says the Red Cross has notified the military that it has collected four caskets, with the apparent bodies of slain hostages, from Hamas in Gaza City a short while ago.

The Red Cross is now bringing the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held. The remains will then be taken for identification.

Hamas has not announced the identities of the hostages it handed over.

“Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the bodies,” the military says.

Hostage families at Ichilov Hospital omit Netanyahu, government, from their message of thanks

Viki Cohen, the mother of former hostage Nimrod Cohen, speaks at Ichilov Medical Center, in Tel Aviv, October 14, 2025. (Alon Gilboa/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The relatives of several newly-released hostages do not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their message of thanks as they address reporters at the Ichilov Hospital, where their loved ones are receiving medical treatment.

Lishay Lavi and Dani Miran, wife and father of Omri Miran, Viki Cohen, mother of Nimrod Cohen, Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest, and former hostage Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan was released yesterday, take the opportunity of their statements to the press to express their gratitude to those who supported their struggle and helped achieve the deal that brought back the last twenty living hostages in Gaza.

They mention, among others, the people of Israel, the IDF, US President Donald Trump, and several American officials, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, but omit Netanyahu and the government.

“As I look at my son, it is hard for me to think that there were those who were ready to give up on him,” says Anat Angrest. “It is hard for me to think that the deal that returned my Matan was signed despite some [political] leaders and not thanks to them.”

“Thanks to those government ministers who did care and acted on it,” says Viki Cohen, the only one referring to Israeli officials.

The families address the press while holding pictures of deceased hostages whose bodies have not yet been returned by Hamas, and vow to continue fighting for them.

“We have the moral responsibility, all of us hostage families, to continue to support the families of the deceased who have not been brought back to Israel for a respectful burial,” says Dani Miran.

“The Israeli government has the responsibility to fulfill the deal as it is written,” he adds. “We cannot go on with the implementation of the next phase of the deal until this one is completed.

Miran stresses that if the bodies are not returned, “it should be considered a violation of the deal and Israel should be allowed to fight in Gaza again.”

PA presidency condemns Hamas’s summary executions: ‘Heinous crimes’

Palestinians accused of collaberation with Israel are seen blindfolded moments before their execution by Hamas gunmen in a Gaza street, October 13, 2025 (Screenshot: X)

The office of the Palestinian Authority’s presidency condemns the mass, summary executions carried out by Hamas that were documented in Gaza in the past day.

The statement says these are “heinous crimes” that have no justification and reflect Hamas’s insistence on ruling through force and terror.

It also states that these violations must be stopped immediately, and that “the restoration of law and the legitimate institutions of the Palestinian people in Gaza is the only way to end the state of chaos and rebuild national trust.”

‘Keep wearing your hostage pins’: Families in Hostages Square urge the immediate return of all bodies of slain hostages; ‘hakafot’ also in the square

Ruby Chen, holding a megaphone and Hagit Chen, to his left, at Hostages Square on October 14, 2025, calling for the release of all hostages bodies held in Gaza. (Vardi Alon-Korpel / Israeli Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of Itay Chen, a soldier killed and his body taken hostage to Gaza on October 7, 2023, gather with supporters at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Tuesday night, calling for the release of all the hostage bodies still held in Gaza, since only four of the remaining 28 slain hostages were returned on Monday. Four more are expected to be returned tonight.

“All of them now, all of them now, the men and the woman,” urges Chen, referring to Inbar Heiman, the only remaining female hostage whose body is held in Gaza.

Dani Miran, the father of hostage Omri Miran, who was released yesterday, and a familiar face at Hostages Square, joins the group, who are holding placards featuring the pictures of those whose bodies are still held captive.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was released yesterday, was with the group earlier, says Chen.

Speaking to Channel 12, Chen urges Israelis to “keep wearing your [yellow hostage] pins,” and notes that the clock in the square is still ticking, because not all the hostages have returned. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana ceremoniously took off his yellow pin during his speech before US President Donald Trump’s address to the Knesset yesterday.

As evening turns to night, the square is filling with growing numbers of Israelis urging the return of all the hostages.

Hostages Square in Tel Aviv fills with crowds who have come to support the families of the slain hostages who have not yet been released from Gaza by Hamas, October 14, 2025. (Adir Stup / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

There are also protests taking place on Begin Road outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for the return of the bodies of all hostages taken captive to Gaza.

Crowds gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to hear former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, speak in honor of the hostages – those who returned alive, those whose bodies have been returned, and those who have yet to return, October 14, 2025. (Michelle Braunstein / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

People have also gathered in Hostages Square to mark Simchat Torah, including for an address by former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau.

There have also been several hours of hakafot ceremonies, dancing with the Sefer Torah, in celebration of the return of the living hostages, taking place not far from where families and supporters are gathered to highlight the imperative to complete the return of the bodies of slain hostages.

Some of the hakafot were organized by the Reform movement.

הקפות שניות, כיכר המושבה.
בהובלת הקהילה הרפורמית דרכי נעם ולצלילי צמד רעים והיכן שגם נשים נושאות ספר תורה שוויוני. pic.twitter.com/mrokcQJzui

— רוצה_להיות_אבא ابي (@ParentWannaBe) October 14, 2025

And some are more Orthodox in nature.

הקפות שמחת תורה בכיכר החטופים pic.twitter.com/gJLzEgdJ6b

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) October 14, 2025

A Channel 12 reporter in the square says that speakers at the hakafot come to the stage from time to time to highlight that not all the hostages have returned, and that there are pictures of some of slain hostages — including Inbar Hayman, the only female hostage whose body has not been returned — being held high. “It’s all mixed — the sorrow and the joy and the memory, all together. That’s the people of Israel,” he says. “It’s very moving.”

On October 14, 2025, Israelis celebrating the festival of Simchat Torah at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, two years to the day in the Hebrew calendar since the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and slaughter, following the October 13, 2025, release of the final 20 living hostages. (Lizzy Shaanan / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Lapid calls on Herzog not to take part in opening of next Knesset session if top justice not invited

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, October 5, 2025. (Yesh Atid, courtesy)

Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid calls on President Isaac Herzog not to participate in the upcoming opening of the Knesset’s winter session if Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana does not invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the ceremony, in his capacity as head of the judiciary.

Ohana acknowledged this evening that Amit, as well as the attorney general, were deliberately excluded from the ceremony on Friday in which US President Donald Trump addressed the Knesset.

“Yesterday, there were rare moments of non-partisan behavior and unity of the nation, and already the coalition is returning to quarrels and division,” says Lapid.

“I call on Amir Ohana: Give this nation an opportunity for the common good, invite the president of the Supreme Court to the opening ceremony of the Knesset in his official title and position,” he adds, while calling on Herzog to boycott the event if Ohana fails to do so.

Freed hostage Bar Kuperstein tells Herzog that Hamas began feeding him four days before release

President Isaac Herzog met earlier today with freed hostage Bar Kuperstein at the hospital where he was received following his release from Hamas captivity yesterday.

In a video shared by his office, Herzog warmly welcomes Kuperstein back to Israel and asks how he’s been coping since returning home.

“Did they begin feeding you?” Herzog asks, seemingly referring to whether Hamas had provided food in the days leading up to Kuperstein’s release.

“During the last four days,” Kuperstein replies.

“What matters is that you’re here,” Herzog tells him.

Herzog also greets and commends Kuperstein’s father, Tal, who suffered a stroke several years ago following a car accident, and relearned to walk and talk while his son was in captivity.

Hostages freed on Monday have begun sharing accounts of their time in Gaza with relatives, describing prolonged isolation, long periods of starvation, and undergoing torture during their captivity.

בר היקר – כמה טוב שבאת הביתה ????????
מחכים לכולם! pic.twitter.com/3njcbKtzKg

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 14, 2025

Red Cross reportedly arrives at pick-up site for hostages’ bodies

Media outlets in Gaza report that the Red Cross has arrived at the site where the bodies of hostages are to be handed over by Hamas in Gaza City.

The reports did not specify how many hostage bodies would be transferred.

‘We were told they had 26, 24 dead hostages’: Trump indicates Hamas overstated the number of bodies it held

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump reveals that Hamas misrepresented the number of bodies of slain hostages it told mediators it would be able to produce, out of the 28 that remained in Gaza before the deal was signed.

“We were told they had 26, 24 dead hostages… and it seems as though they don’t have that, because we’re talking about a much lesser number,” Trump says. Hamas only released four bodies on Monday and is slated to release several more later tonight.

“I want them back,” Trump reiterates to reporters in the White House during a meeting with visiting Argentine President Javier Milei.

Relatives of freed hostages Gali and Ziv Berman: ‘We’re breathing clear air again’

Maccabit Meyer (L) and Liran Berman, aunt and brother of released hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, offer statements at Sheba Hospital, in Ramat Gan, October 14, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Maccabit Meyer and Liran Berman, aunt and brother of released hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, offer statements at Sheba Hospital on Tuesday night.

Meyer, one of the main representatives of the family over the last two years, says the twin brothers were separated for the first time in their lives on October 7, 2023, and were reunited on Monday.

“For the first time in two years, we’re breathing clear air again,” says Meyer. “We didn’t know we could feel this kind of happiness.”

Meyer thanks US President Donald Trump and his team, and the nation of Israel.

“Gali and Zivi returned to each other and to us,” says Meyer. “They’re on their feet and smiling, and now the healing will begin.”

Their older brother, Liran Berman, who also speaks in English, thanks all Israelis for never giving up, “We have no words to thank you, you’re on the right side of history.”

His aunt also thanks the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the Shift 101 silent weekly sit-in community, calls President Herzog “an anchor,” as well as hostage envoy Gal Hirsch, and the Kibbutz Kfar Aza and Beit Guvrin communities.

Trump says not too bothered about Hamas killing dozens of ‘gang members’ since ceasefire

Commenting on Hamas’s killings, including summary executions, of dozens of “collaborators” since the ceasefire took place, US President Trump appears to justify the effort.

“They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad… and they killed a number of gang members,” Trump says.

“That didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s okay. It’s a couple of very bad gangs. It’s no different than other countries like Venezuela [that have] sent their gangs [into the US],” he adds.

Father of freed hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana thanks IDF ‘angels in green’ who accompanied family since Oct. 7

Avi Ohana, father of the newly released hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana, speaks at Sheba Hospital, in Ramat Gan, October 14, 2025. (Uriel Even Sapir / Hostages Families Forum)

Avi Ohana, the father of the released hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana, thanks God, the Israeli nation, the IDF, and his rabbis for all of the support and prayers in helping bring his son home during a Tuesday night statement at Sheba Hospital.

He cites three IDF officers by name and calls them “angels in green” who accompanied and supported the family throughout the last two years.

Ohana thanks the government leadership for its brave decisions and relentless efforts to bring home the hostages, offers heartfelt condolences to all the bereaved families, prays for the physical and emotional health of the injured, and hopes for unity, mercy, and days of peace.

Trump says Hamas assured his ‘people’ that it will disarm: ‘And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, perhaps violently’

US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says Hamas has told his top aides that it will disarm, and that the terror group could be dealt with “violently” if it refuses do so.

“I spoke to Hamas, and I said, ‘You’re going to disarm, right?’ ‘Yes, sir. We’re going to disarm.’ — That’s what they told me. They will disarm or we will disarm them,” Trump tells reporters at the White House.

He later clarifies that this message, rather than in a direct conversation between the president and Hamas, was passed along to his “people,” apparently referring to US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff and Kushner, with Trump’s approval, met on Wednesday in Sharm el-Sheikh with Hamas’s top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya to assure him that Washington would hold Israel accountable to the terms of the US plan for ending the war in Gaza, according to an Arab official, who confirmed an Axios report to The Times of Israel.

Trump makes the comments in response to a question on whether he can guarantee that Hamas will disarm.

“We have told them we want disarm, and they will disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently, but they will disarm,” he says. “Do you understand me? … They will disarm.”

Pressed on how he plans to go about doing that, Trump says, “I don’t have to explain that to you… They know I’m not playing games.”

As for a timeline, Trump says this will happen within “a reasonable period of time.”

Wife of freed hostage Elkana Bohbot thanks those who helped bring husband home, snubs PM

From L-R: Miri Ben Ami, mother of freed hostage; Rivka Bohbot, wife of freed hostage Elkana Bohbot; Yosef Haim Ohana Avi Ohana, the father of released hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana; Liran Berman, brother of freed hostages Gali and Ziv Berman; and Maccabit Meir, the Bermans' aunt, speaking at Sheba Hospital on October 14, 2025. (Credit: Oriel Even Sapir/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Rivka Bohbot, the wife of released hostage Elkana Bohbot, doesn’t mention the Israeli government as she thanks the Israeli nation, the Hostages Forum, the IDF and security forces, US President Donald Trump, envoy Steve Witkoff, and the US government for helping bring her husband home, during a brief statement at Sheba Hospital.

“Many good people helped us,” says Bohbot, adding that her husband saw images of the rallies and protests while in captivity. “He saw and he felt he wasn’t forgotten. You saved him, but also me and Re’em,” who is their three-year-old son.

“Yesterday was more emotional than our wedding day or even Re’em’s birth,” says Bohbot. “I saw them reborn. Elkana couldn’t stop hugging Re’em.”

Bohbot, a native of Colombia, says she won.

“My husband is here,” says Bohbot. “Despite the difficulties of language, the exhaustion, I didn’t give up on life and love, and that is a huge accomplishment. None of us can give up on hope for better days.”

She adds that the mission isn’t over, that the clock can’t be stopped in Hostages Square, and people can’t take off their yellow hostage pins until the last hostage is brought home.

Army commanders visit freed hostage soldier Matan Angrest, who reportedly speaks on phone to IDF chief

Released hostage soldier Matan Angrest meets with his military commanders at Ichilov Hospital, October 14, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage soldier Matan Angrest, who served in a tank in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion on the morning of October 7, was visited by his military commanders at Ichilov Hospital today, the IDF says.

The commander of the 36th Division, Brig. Gen. Moran Omer, commander of the Armored Corps, Brig. Gen. Ohad Maor, commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, commander of the 77th Battalion, and the former commanders of the 7th Brigade and 77th Battalion, paid him a visit for time since his release from Hamas captivity yesterday.

Angrest also reportedly spoke by phone with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who himself started his military service in the Armored Corps.

“I can’t believe an Armored Corps soldier became chief of staff,” Angrest is cited by Channel 12 news as telling Zamir.

IDF says Red Cross on way to pick up bodies of several hostages from Hamas

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles is now heading to a handover site in the northern Gaza Strip to collect the bodies of several hostages from Hamas, the IDF says.

According to Reuters, Hamas is set to hand over four bodies to Israel this evening.

The Red Cross will bring the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their memory.

Then, the bodies will be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification. The identification process may take up to two days, according to officials.

The return of the bodies is still on schedule for a 10 p.m. handover, a senior Red Cross official tells The Times of Israel.

Hostage mother Anat Angrest: ‘The deal that returned my Matan was signed despite our political leaders and not thanks to them’

Anat Angrest, mother of former hostage Matan Angrest, gives an address at Ichilov Medical Center, in Tel Aviv, October 14, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Anat Angrest, mother of newly-released hostage Matan Angrest, harshly criticizes the government as she addresses reporters at the Ichilov Hospital, where her son is receiving medical treatment.

“As I look at my son, it is hard for me to think that there were those who were ready to give up on him,” she says, “It is hard for me to think that the deal that returned my Matan was signed despite some [political] leaders and not thanks to them, that it was possible to shorten this terrible time for my Matan.”

Angrest, an IDF soldier, was kidnapped from a tank by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, as he and his comrades battled Hamas terrorists and fought to guard Kibbutz Nahal Oz on that day.

“One of the first things Matan told me when I saw him was, ‘Mom, you should know—we were alone, but we fought and eliminated many terrorists,” Anat says. “Through tears, he spoke about how proud he is of his brave comrades who were killed in the difficult battles: Tomer Leibovitz, Daniel Peretz, and Itay Chen. Matan needs a place to honor their memory. These heroes deserve to be buried in the country they fought for.”

The body of Chen is still held by Hamas. Peretz’s remains were returned last night.

Senior Hamas official says four to six bodies will be handed over tonight

A senior Hamas official tells AFP that the terror group would hand over the remains of four to six hostages later tonight as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal agreed with Israel.

“We informed the mediators that we will hand over four to six bodies of Israeli prisoners tonight,” the official says, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue.

Another source close to the Hamas negotiating team confirmed the development.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Former hostage Iair Horn: ‘We won’t rest until the last slain hostage is returned’

Iair Horn, brother of former hostage Eitan Horn, gives an address at Ichilov Medical Center, in Tel Aviv, October 14, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Former captive Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan was released yesterday, says that the struggle to return the hostages will not cease until the last body held in Gaza is returned.

“Today my heart is more full, but not completely full because many families are still in the unknown,” he tells reporters at the Ichilov Hospital where Eitan is hospitalized.

“Until everyone is home, we will not rest and we will not stop,” he adds.

Horn also expresses his gratitude to the US President Donald Trump.

“Thank you for never giving up and for having the courage to live when everything seemed impossible, your strength, your compassion and your determination saved many lives, including mine and my little brother,” he says.

Opposition MKs blast Ohana after he reveals top judge, AG deliberately not invited to Trump speech

Opposition MKs castigate Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana over his acknowledgement that the president of the Supreme Court and the attorney general were deliberately not invited to US President Donald Trump’s speech in the Knesset on Friday.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv says he will insist on receiving a list of Likud “apparatchiks” who were invited to the event, accusing Ohana of “filling the [Knesset] visitors gallery” with Likud party functionaries “at the expense of the families of hostages.”

The MK adds that he will submit a formal complaint to the Knesset Ethics Committee over the incident.

“A Knesset speaker who does not recognize the Supreme Court president is not fitting [himself] for recognition by members of Knesset, and represents a danger to Israeli democracy,” says Kariv.

“It is doubtful if there has ever been a Knesset Speaker who trampled on the status of the Knesset as has Ohana.”

And Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar writes a letter to Ohana telling him the office of the Knesset speaker requires him to act apolitically, and on behalf of the entire spectrum of political parties in the Israeli parliament.

“It is not within your authority to boycott senior office holders from events just because they do not support the policies of the current government. This decision is unbecoming and harms the accepted norms in a democratic state,” she says.

Elharrar adds that she expects that all senior office holders in the country will be invited to the upcoming opening of the Knesset’s winter session.

IDF also confirms Yossi Sharabi, Cpt. Daniel Perez as slain hostages returned yesterday

IDF troops salute over the caskets containing the bodies of slain hostages Guy Illouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi and Cpt. Daniel Perez in the Gaza Strip, late October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Yossi Sharabi, 53, and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez, 22,  are the two additional hostages whose bodies were returned to Israel by Hamas yesterday and identified by forensic experts this morning, the Prime Minister’s Office announces.

Earlier, the IDF said its representatives notified the families of Guy Illouz, 26, Nepali national Bipin Joshi, 23, and two other hostages — whose names were not immediately published — that their bodies were returned.

“The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Illouz, Joshi, Perez, and Sharabi families and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the PMO says.

It says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back all of the slain hostages for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”

According to the military, Sharabi, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, was likely inadvertently killed as a result of an IDF strike in January 2024. Sharabi was in a building that collapsed after an adjacent building was hit in a strike.

Perez was stationed near the Gaza border on the morning of October 7, and he and his tank crew fought for hours against the Hamas invasion until being killed alongside Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen.

The bodies of Perez and Chen were taken captive to Gaza, while their comrade Matan Angrest was abducted alive and freed from Hamas captivity yesterday.

Netanyahu to testify in corruption trial tomorrow, after visit by Cypriot president nixed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court, July 14, 2025. (Reuven Kastro/ POOL)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will testify in the Tel Aviv District Court tomorrow in his criminal trial on corruption charges, after a visit by Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides, which had been expected to take place tomorrow, was canceled.

Netanyahu’s lawyers requested earlier this week that the court cancel the hearing due to the diplomatic visit, but they informed the court today that Christodoulides’s visit had been canceled.

The prime minister’s testimony under cross-examination from the prosecution is now scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. and last until 4:30 p.m.

Released hostage Eitan Mor recovering well, his father says

Released hostage Eitan Mor is seen reuniting with his parents at the IDF's Re'im base on October 13, 2025.(Courtesy)

A day after he was released from Hamas captivity, former hostage Eitan Mor is recovering well, his father posts on X.

“Our Eitan is returning to life in Israel, returning to life in the family, returning to taking responsibility for himself, choosing for himself when he drinks coffee, when he goes to the bathroom, when he eats, and how much he eats,” Tzvika Mor writes. “After 24 hours, Eitan is really progressing. The doctors also say his health condition is good, thank God.”

Mor commends the ‘amazing’ team at Beilinson hospital for taking care of everything Eitan needs, adding, “There is still work to be done, and we are supporting him as much as he needs.”

Wife of Tal Haimi waiting to bury her husband, whose body remains held in Gaza

Ela Haimi and her baby, Lotan, the youngest of her four children, born after her husband Tal Haimi was killed defending their kibbutz on October 7, 2023 and his body taken hostage to Gaza. (David Janovic/IDFWO)

Bereaved wife Ela Haimi says she is waiting to bury her husband, Tal Haimi, who was killed in battle with Hamas on October 7, his body taken to Gaza, as she waits to hear the identities of the four bodies being released by Hamas at 10 p.m.

“It will be a very hard evening and night, very tense,” says Haimi.

“I don’t know if one of those bodies will be my husband or not,” says Haimi, speaking in a press conference. “I’ve been waiting for this day for almost two years.”

Haimi, a mechanical engineer and Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak native like his wife, led the kibbutz’s first response team on October 7.

At first, Haimi was told her husband was a hostage, as his phone was located in Khan Younis.

In December 2023, while Haimi was relocated to an Eilat hotel with the rest of the kibbutz, the army informed her that her husband had been killed on October 7, his body taken hostage to Gaza.

On December 15, Haimi decided to hold a funeral, burying Tal’s helmet in a grave in Kibbutz Revivim and sitting shiva in the hotel, to help her three children find some sense of closure.

A few months later, her fourth child, Lotan, was born.

Now, relocated back home to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, Haimi said she seeks real closure for herself and her four children.

“I can live with four bodies [being brought] a day when I know that all will be brought home eventually,” says Haimi. “I’m afraid Hamas will stop today, tomorrow, in a week, and will say they can’t find anyone.”

Haimi says she knew it would be difficult to find the bodies and believes that Hamas doesn’t have the desire to locate them, despite the information given to them by the IDF for the purpose of fulfilling the ceasefire conditions.

She adds that the IDF has other tools for dealing with Hamas on this issue, such as slowing the humanitarian aid, and believes that’s the only way to force Hamas to bring the bodies back to Israel, as it did with the living hostages on Monday.

“I feel betrayed by the act of Hamas and felt betrayed in the Knesset on Monday when Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana removed the sign of the hostages,” says Haimi, referring to the Knesset gathering for US President Donald Trump, celebrating the return of the living hostages. “I felt my country doesn’t see Tal anymore, but I heard today that the army is doing everything it can to push as much as possible.”

“I told the kids anything can happen, but it’s hard, this is my life, this is my reality,” says Haimi.

Wife of freed hostage Omri Miran: ‘Mission not over’ until last body returns, Oct. 7 probe formed

Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of former hostage Omer Miran, gives an address at Ichilov Medical Center, in Tel Aviv, October 14, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of captivity survivor Omri Miran, says ‘mission not over’ until the last slain hostage returns, and a national commission of inquiry on October 7 is established.

Speaking to reporters at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of captivity survivor Omri Miran, says that despite the joy for her husband’s return, the “mission is not over,” “until the last slain hostage returns” and “a national commission of inquiry” is established.

Addressing the people of Israel, she says, “This is also your moment,” thanking Israelis for the support, as well as family members and friends, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the White House, and IDF soldiers. Lavi does not mention the Israeli government.

She explains that Omri saw the rallies for the hostages and drew strength from that in captivity, “even as the fighting happened over his head.”

Family members of hostages who were released yesterday address the press while holding pictures of deceased hostages whose bodies have not yet been returned by Hamas.

Asked if Hamas adhering to ceasefire deal, Trump says: ‘We’ll find out’

Asked whether Hamas is holding up its end of the ceasefire-hostage deal with Israel, US President Donald Trump tells reporters, “We’ll find out.”

Less than an hour ago, he posted on Truth Social that Hamas was not handing back the remaining hostages’ bodies as promised.

Hamas to release additional four bodies tomorrow — TV report

Hamas has committed to releasing the bodies of four deceased hostages tomorrow, in addition to the four it is expected to release tonight, Channel 12 reports, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The decision follows “very difficult negotiations” between Israel and mediators that have been underway since yesterday, according to the TV report, during which Israel has accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement by failing to release all the hostages.

Mediators have urged Israel not to torpedo the deal over the dispute and to allow them to continue working with Hamas, while Israel has indicated it is considering several responses if the issue remains unresolved, in addition to its stated threat not to open the Rafah crossing and to limit aid entry, the Hebrew network says.

According to Channel 12, Israel conveyed a message to mediators that it knows Hamas is capable of releasing additional bodies of hostages, saying: “Tell Hamas that they must return those who they know how to return,” adding that Israel knows “exactly” which bodies the group is holding or can access, and warning the terror group “not to play games.”

An Israeli official tells the network, “Hamas has the ability to return most of the deceased hostages. It’s aware of this, and we will insist on it.”

Visiting freed hostages at hospital, Netanyahu vows to return all slain captives

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara while visiting released hostages at Beilinson Hospital, in Petah Tikva, October 14, 2025. (GPO/screenshot)

Visiting freed hostages in Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises to bring the bodies of the slain hostages home, as he did with the living ones.

“With the same determination, with the same sense of responsibility and seriousness, we are working to bring them back,” says Netanyahu in a video statement from the hospital. “We will spare no effort and no means to bring them back.”

He says that Israel “will soon receive news about the return of additional fallen hostages — I hope in the coming hours. But we are determined to bring everyone back.”

Ohana, Levin dismiss Herzog’s criticism over failure to invite top judge, AG to Trump speech

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana speaks at the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on July 29, 2025. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana fires back at President Isaac Herzog for criticizing the failure to invite the president of the Supreme Court and the attorney general to the Knesset for US President Donald Trump’s speech on Friday.

Ohana accuses the court of “placing itself above the people” for striking down a key piece of legislation in 2024, which the court determined to be highly damaging to the judicial review, and claims the attorney general has failed to deal with incitement against coalition officials.

“It is unfortunate that the president of the state expects only one branch of government [the Knesset] to be objective and to act according to the rules, when another branch tramples on it without authority and in contravention of the law,” retorts Ohana to Herzog.

“For those who have forgotten, the judicial authority put itself above the people and above democracy when it struck down a Basic Law, an unprecedented act in the State of Israel, which annulled the decision of the majority — and at a time of war.

Ohana was referring to legislation abolishing the reasonableness standard for evaluating government decisions, which the Supreme Court ruled in January 2024 severely harmed the separation of powers and the principle of the rule of law.

“Those who trample the Knesset and its decisions — cannot expect an invitation of honor from it,” insisted the Knesset speaker.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin speaks at the Second Right-Wing Conference in Tel Aviv, July 31, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin also hits out at Herzog, reeling off a series of Supreme Court decisions to which he strongly objected, chief among them the court’s decision ruling that he did not have the authority to permanently stymie the election of a new Supreme Court president, as well as the decision to strike down the reasonableness law, and the court’s unanimous skepticism of the way the government fired the attorney general.

“Unity and objectivity are indeed important values. However, coercive and illegal conduct on the part of the judiciary and the systematic trampling of the people’s choice are the opposite of unity and objectivity, said Levin in response to the president.

“I expect the president of the state and every decent person to stand at the side of the Knesset and the government, and not allow their powers to be trampled on and the people’s choice to be annulled. The days when we bowed our heads in submission – are gone and will not return.”

Assad regime secretly moved mass grave over two years to cover up killings

Then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad gives an interview to Foreign Affairs magazine in Damascus, January 26, 2015. (AFP)

DHUMAIR, Syria — The Assad government carried out a two-year clandestine operation to truck thousands of bodies from one of Syria’s largest known mass graves to a secret location more than an hour away in the remote desert, a Reuters investigation finds.

The conspiracy by former president Bashar al-Assad’s military to excavate the mass grave in Qutayfah and create an enormous second mass grave in the desert outside the town of Dhumair has not been previously reported.

To uncover the location of the Dhumair grave site and detail the vast operation, Reuters spoke to 13 people with direct knowledge of the two-year effort to move the bodies, reviewed documents produced by officials involved, and analyzed hundreds of satellite images of both grave sites taken over the course of several years.

The operation to transfer bodies from Qutayfah to another hidden site dozens of kilometers away was called “Operation Move Earth,” and it lasted from 2019 until 2021. The purpose of the operation was to cover up the Assad government’s crimes and help restore its image, the witnesses say.

Reuters informed the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa of the findings of this investigation on Tuesday. The government didn’t immediately respond to questions for this report.

Cpt. Daniel Perez confirmed as one of slain hostages released yesterday

Cpt. Daniel Perez (IDF)

The body of Cpt. Daniel Perez, 22, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, is confirmed to be among the bodies returned yesterday by Hamas, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, and the Yad Binyamin community, in which he lived, announce.

It marks the final confirmation of the identities of the four slain hostages released yesterday.

Trump says ‘job is not done’ as hostage bodies ‘have not been returned as promised’; declares, ‘Phase two begins right NOW!!!’

US President Donald Trump pumps his fist upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says the “job is not done,” as the remaining deceased hostages have not been returned as promised.

“ALL TWENTY HOSTAGES ARE BACK AND FEELING AS GOOD AS CAN BE EXPECTED. A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED!” Trump writes on Truth Social.

The deal signed by Israel and Hamas last week required Hamas to return all remaining 48 hostages within 72 hours of the ceasefire going into place. That deadline expired on Monday at noon, and while Hamas managed to release all 20 living hostages beforehand, it only freed four out of the 28 bodies of captives still held in Gaza.

While the deal’s deadline applies to the bodies as well, the text appears to recognize that Hamas may need more time to locate all of them, setting up a joint task force of the various stakeholders in order to assist in finding all bodies not returned within 72 hours, while requiring Hamas to “exert maximum effort to ensure the fulfillment of these conditions as soon as possible.”

For each deceased hostage Hamas returns, Israel is required to return 15 Palestinian bodies from the hundreds it is also holding.

“Phase two begins right NOW!!!” Trump adds in his Truth Social post.

He is ostensibly referring to the parts of his 20-point plan that focus on the post-war management and reconstruction of Gaza led by a transitional government of Palestinian technocrats and overseen by a Board of Peace that will be chaired by Trump and include former UK prime minister Tony Blair and other prominent international figures.

However, the document signed by the sides last week only included the points of the Trump plan regarding Israel’s initial pull-back from Gaza and the hostage-prisoner swap, which the US has referred to as phase one.

Hamas has yet to get on board with phase two, which would require it to disarm, and has said it wants to hold subsequent negotiations on the matter.

Netanyahu backed out of Sharm meeting due to Turkish protest, Abbas’s presence — source to ToI

US President Donald Trump (C) and other world leaders pose for a group photograph at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit yesterday after accepting an invitation for two reasons, a source familiar with the details tells The Times of Israel.

“Turkey’s protest definitely had an effect on Netanyahu not attending the summit,” says the source.

“In addition, the fact that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas was invited, the chance of coming close to him is something Netanyahu wanted to stay clear of.”

In rare rebuke, Herzog pans exclusion of Supreme Court justice and AG from Trump’s Knesset address

US President Donald Trump (L), Knesset speaker Amir Ohana (C) and President Isaac Herzog at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Kenny HOLSTON / POOL / AFP)

In a rare public rebuke of domestic affairs, President Isaac Herzog condemns the exclusion of Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from US President Donald Trump’s address to the Knesset on Monday, calling it “inappropriate” and against “the dignity of the state” in a statement from his office.

“The exclusion of the President of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General from the Knesset session for the address of the US President is inappropriate and harms the dignity of the state,” Herzog says in the statement.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana did not invite the two officials to the session, during which Trump celebrated the return of hostages from Gaza and declared that Israel had won the war against Hamas.

“I am very sorry about this incident. It is a blow to the dignity of the state and an inappropriate act — particularly on a day so filled with uplifted spirit and national unity,” the president adds.

There was no immediate comment from Ohana’s office on his decision not to invite the two figures, which came as the government seeks to dismiss Baharav-Miara, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin refuses to recognize Amit’s authority as chief justice. The coalition continues to advance plans to curb the powers of the courts as part of its broader judicial overhaul.

Militia commander in northern Gaza: We have taken control of areas, call on Hamas to stay away

Ashraf al-Mansi, a Gaza resident who has led a militia in northern Gaza against Hamas in recent weeks, denies in a self-released video that Hamas had harmed his group.

In the video, published in recent hours on his Facebook page, he says rumors that Hamas killed or arrested militia members are false. He adds that the militia has managed to take control of several areas in northern Gaza and is working to expand its presence in order to allow residents to safely return to their homes there.

He addresses Hamas directly, warning that if they approach areas under militia control, they will be treated the same way Hamas treats militia members.

In the past 24 hours, footage was circulated showing executions carried out by Hamas in Gaza City. Reuters reported that since the start of the ceasefire, in the context of the fighting and executions conducted by Hamas, at least 30 people belonging to groups that tried to fight Hamas have been killed.

Sharaa to visit Moscow tomorrow, will request Assad’s extradition — source

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to meet with France's President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City, on September 24, 2025. (Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)

CAIRO, Egypt —  Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Moscow tomorrow, pro-government Syria TV and a source familiar with the matter say, despite the postponement of an Arab summit there that he had planned to attend.

Sharaa is set to hold talks on the continued presence of Russia’s naval base in Tartous and its air base in Hmeimim, a Syrian official source says.

He will also formally request the handover of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, for trial over alleged crimes against Syrians, the source adds.

Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, led rebels into Damascus in December and installed a new government. Assad fled the capital and was granted asylum in Russia.

Moscow has since attempted to preserve ties with Syria’s new authorities, including offering Damascus diplomatic support over Israeli strikes on Syrian territory.

In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Moscow.

Shaibani’s visit was the first since Assad’s ouster.

Israel tells UN it will only allow half of agreed number of aid trucks into Gaza after Hamas ceasefire violation

Egyptian Red Crecent members monitor trucks carrying humanitarian aid as they enter the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, following an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, October 12, 2025. (AP/Mohamed Arafat)

Israel has told the United Nations it will only allow 300 aid trucks — half the agreed number — into the Gaza Strip from tomorrow and that no fuel or gas will be allowed into the enclave except for specific needs related to humanitarian infrastructure, according to a note seen by Reuters and confirmed by the UN.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, confirms that the UN had received a note from COGAT, the military arm that oversees aid flows into Gaza.

COGAT had said on Friday that it expected about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily during the ceasefire.

The COGAT note says the restrictions were being taken because “Hamas violated the agreement regarding the release of the bodies of the hostages.”

Father of freed hostage reveals he received letter from son two months ago via Red Cross

Ilan Gilboa-Dalal, whose son Guy was released from captivity in Gaza yesterday, says that he can now reveal he received a letter from his son two months ago via the Red Cross.

“He wrote how much he misses us, and thoughts of us strengthen him in captivity,” he tells the Kan public broadcaster.

In the letter, he wrote that he only realized his brother, Gal, had survived the October 7, 2023, massacre when he recently watched television in Gaza and saw him being interviewed.

Hamas informed mediators it will release four hostage bodies at 10 p.m.

Hamas has informed mediators it will begin transferring the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages to Israel at 10 p.m., an official involved in the operation tells Reuters.

A senior Red Cross official tells The Times of Israel that the transfer of the bodies is slated to take place at 10 p.m. tonight, confirming earlier reports.

The Qatari Al Araby channel reports that the transfer of the hostages’ bodies will take place from two different locations in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, Israeli officials said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay closed at least through tomorrow, and the flow of aid into the Palestinian enclave would be reduced to put pressure on the terror group to hand over the bodies of the hostages it is holding.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Yossi Sharabi confirmed as one of deceased hostages returned by Hamas yesterday

Yossi Sharabi (Courtesy)

Kibbutz Be’eri confirms that Yossi Sharabi, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, was identified as one of the bodies returned by Hamas yesterday.

The kibbutz expresses condolences to Sharabi’s family, and “demands the implementation of the entire deal,” a reference to Hamas’s failure to return all the bodies of captives as demanded by the agreement.

Hamas may release additional bodies of hostages tonight, reports say

Hamas may hand over the bodies of several hostages tonight, following Israeli pressure on the terror group, according to several reports.

The Qatari channel Al-Arabi reports that Hamas will return bodies of hostages later today, and Channel 12 news cites an Israeli official as saying that Israel expects several bodies of hostages to be returned tonight.

Earlier today, Israel had decided not to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt tomorrow, as demanded by the ceasefire deal, accusing Hamas of failing to stand by its commitment to return the bodies of all dead hostages still held by Palestinian terrorists in the Strip.

Omri Miran’s wife thanks those who helped secure his release; does not mention PM

Released hostage Omri Miran is reunited with his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, and wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, at Ichilov Hospital after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on October 13, 2025 (GPO)

Lishay Miran-Lavi offers thanks to those who helped secure the release of her husband, Omri Miran, from captivity in Gaza.

Like several other hostage families, Miran-Lavi does not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Thank you to President @realDonaldTrump and the entire Trump Administration for their relentless efforts to bring Omri and the other hostages home,” she writes on X.

“To @SteveWitkoff, the President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and to @jaredkushner, thank you for your dedication, compassion, and persistence through every stage of this journey. To Secretary of State @SecRubio, thank you for your conviction and diplomacy, for ensuring the hostages and their families never left the agenda, and for leading with strength and humanity. Thank you to the senior members of the Trump administration, who were available to us around the clock, opened the @WhiteHouse doors to us at all times, even when no one else would speak with us,” she writes.

“Their determination and dedication brought us to this long-awaited moment. We are deeply grateful to the Hungarian government, which stood by us throughout this ordeal, both as an ally and because Omri is a Hungarian citizen. Your care and advocacy made a real difference. To the many communities around the world who carried us in their hearts and actions, thank you. And to the New York community, where my brother @MosheELavi lives, thank you for your tireless advocacy and love,” she writes.

“Hamas must be held accountable for the crimes of October 7, and so must all who aided or justified them. Only through truth, justice, and accountability can we rebuild for the victims, their families, and the future our children deserve. Lastly, I want to mention that there are still 24 hostages held by Hamas, whose families long for closure. They deserve to be honored and given a proper burial. I call on the international community to keep pressuring Hamas. We will not stop our struggle as families until all the remaining 24 hostages are home,” she says.

Mother of Alon Ohel shares photo of herself smiling with freed hostage

Idit Ohel (L) with her son, former hostage Alon Ohel, October 14, 2025. (Idit Ohel/Facebook)

Idit Ohel shares an image online of herself smiling with her son, Alon Ohel, who was freed from captivity in Gaza yesterday.

Idit conveys a message from her son: “I want to say thank you to the people of Israel, to everyone who was there for me, so that I could come home alive.”

Idit thanks “the prime minister, president, US president, Gal Hirsh [the government’s hostage point man], and everyone who worked to return Alon.”

Arafat’s nephew returns to West Bank after exile, aims to confront corruption in PA

Nasser al-Qudwa, a member of Fatah's Central Committee and the nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, addresses a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 23, 2019, against a backdrop showing Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock mosque, to comment on a decision by an Israeli court to issue a temporary lien for a plot of land belonging to Arafat in East Jerusalem. (ABBAS MOMANI / AFP)

A nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has returned to the West Bank after four years of self-exile, outlining a roadmap to secure peace in Gaza with Hamas transforming into a political party and declaring his readiness to help govern.

Nasser al-Qudwa, a prominent critic of the current Palestinian Authority leadership, also urged “a serious confrontation of corruption in this country.” He says PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party needed deep reform and must do more to counter settler violence in the West Bank.

“The first duty … is to regain confidence of the street — something that we lost — and we have to be brave enough and say that we don’t have it anymore, and without it, frankly, it’s useless,” Qudwa tells Reuters in an interview.

Qudwa left the West Bank in 2021 after he was expelled from Fatah, the movement founded by his uncle, over his decision to field his own list in elections, defying Abbas, who canceled the vote.

Abbas, 89, readmitted Qudwa to Fatah last week, after offering an amnesty for expelled members.

Alon Ohel reportedly says he was used as human shield by Hamas during IDF’s Gaza City offensive

Alon Ohel at the hospital following his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (Government Press Office)

Alon Ohel, who was released from captivity in Gaza yesterday, told his family he was moved into combat areas by his Hamas captors upon the military’s offensive in Gaza City to be used as a human shield, Channel 12 reports.

Ohel was chained up in a single tunnel for most of his time in Gaza, until he was moved to a separate location in central Gaza 40 days ago, Channel 12 reports.

“We drove for several hours until we arrived,” Ohel was quoted as saying, adding that the transfer occurred at the same time as the beginning of the IDF’s offensive.

IDF says it fired on Gazan suspects who crossed ceasefire line

Earlier today, the IDF says it opened fire on several Palestinian suspects who crossed the so-called Yellow Line — to which the military withdrew to as part of the ceasefire — in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

According to Palestinian media, one person was killed in the incident in the al-Fukhari area.

The IDF says that the suspects approached troops in a way that posed an immediate threat to them, and also attempted to reach a Hamas weapon depot which had been destroyed previously by the military.

“The troops opened fire to remove a threat, in accordance with the deal,” the military says, adding that it calls on Gazans to avoid approaching areas where troops are still deployed as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Rescued hostage Noa Argamani celebrates reunion with freed boyfriend: ‘At last, we can begin our healing together’

Released hostage Avinatan Or and his girlfriend, ex hostage Noa Argamani, fly in an Israeli Air Force helicopter to a hospital in central Israel, following his release from Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Rescued hostage Noa Argamani, who was reunited with her boyfriend Avinatan Or yesterday after he was freed from captivity, says the two can now begin “healing together.

“Two years. Two years passed since the last moment I saw Avinatan, the love of my life. Two years since the moment terrorists kidnapped us, put me on a motorcycle, and tore me away from Avinatan before the eyes of the entire world,” she writes on X, recounting her abduction from the Nova festival alongside Or on October 7, 2023.

“From that moment, our journey in captivity was separated. I was held captive with children, women, and the elderly, while Avinatan was held alone. I was mostly kept inside houses, while Avinatan was only in the tunnels. Hamas released videos and signs of life from me, while there was no information at all about Avinatan,” she writes.

“I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal. But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited! I cannot put into words the range of emotions I felt when I saw him for the first time after so long,” she writes.

“Each of us faced death countless times, and yet, after two years apart, we are finally taking our first steps together again in the State of Israel. At last, we can begin our healing together,” she adds.

“The recovery will be long; we still haven’t truly processed what has happened here over these past two years. But we won. We won our personal war, and the war of all those who fought alongside us to reach this moment. And now, the time has come to begin our shared journey together,” she says, thanking the IDF and the US government for their efforts to reunite them.

Argamani, like many of those who are close to hostages, does not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the post.

Families of deceased hostages fume at government letter expressing sorrow for ‘heavy price’ they paid; note also appears to mark first PMO statement saying ‘end of the war’ has been reached

The 24 fallen hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, as of October 14, 2025. Top row, from left: Uriel Baruch, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Dror Or, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Tamir Adar. Second row, from left: Inbar Haiman, Oz Daniel, Hadar Goldin, Manny Godard, Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch. Third row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Eitan Levy, Itay Chen, Asaf Hamami, Tal Haimi, Arie Zalmanowicz. Bottom row: Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Nimrodi, Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit. (Times of Israel combo; courtesy)

The families of deceased hostages yesterday received a letter from the government’s office on hostages and missing families, which is run out of the Prime Minister’s Office, expressing sadness at the “heavy price” they have had to pay for “the end of the war and the return of all the hostages.”

Some of the families take to social media to express their agitation that the letter did not apologize for the failure of their government to rescue their loved ones before they were killed in captivity.

“While hearts are filled with hope for the return of all the hostages, our hearts are saddened by the heavy price you paid and that you carry in your hearts. Pain and difficulty that a stranger will never understand. This is the moment to tell you that we do not forget you and your loved ones,” the letter reads.

“Thanks to the heavy price, we ultimately reached the end of the war and the return of all the hostages. For that, we thank you and appreciate you. Forever and ever. We will always remember and never forget,” it says.

The bodies of 24 fallen hostages are still held in Gaza.

Merav Svirsky, sister of Itay Svirsky, who was murdered in captivity and whose body was recovered in December 2024, writes on Facebook, “Sometimes one word is preferable: Sorry.”

Maayan Sherman, whose son Ron Sherman was also killed in captivity, and whose body was recovered in December 2023, posts a picture of the letter, with the added word, “Sorry.”

Katy Beizer, whose son Nik Beizer was killed as a “byproduct” of an IDF airstrike while being held captive, and whose body was recovered in December 2023, wrote on Facebook: “Look what the hostages coordinator sent to me today, instead of sending me Nik. I know that I have been in a bad dream for two years, but I want to understand, is this for real?”

The letter appears to mark the first official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office to speak of Israel having reached “the end of the war.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the war is over, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not done so, and the government has not voted to end the state of war it declared on October 7, 2023.

FIFA chief vows to assist rebuilding soccer infrastructure in Gaza

US President Donald Trump greets FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025. (Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledges the governing body’s support to rebuild soccer infrastructure in Gaza as part of wider postwar reconstruction efforts following Monday’s peace summit in Egypt.

Infantino was among more than 20 world leaders who attended the gathering in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

“It’s something that is really important for FIFA to be here to support, to help, to assist, to make sure that this peace process comes to fruition,” Infantino says after the signing of a document outlining plans for regional stability and reconstruction.

The FIFA president says his organization would help restore soccer in Gaza and the wider Palestinian territories, including rebuilding facilities destroyed during the war in Gaza, and launching a fund to support new pitches and youth programs.

“Football’s role has to be to support, to unite, to give hope,” he says.

“We will help to rebuild all the football facilities in Gaza, bring football back together with the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), and create opportunities for children through the game.”

Infantino adds that FIFA would contribute with mini-pitches and “FIFA Arenas” and invite other partners to join the effort, saying “football brings hope to children, and it’s very, very important.”

Trump claims his Gaza plan doesn’t address prospects for two-state solution

US President Donald Trump holds up his fist as he walks on the South Lawn after he landed at the White House on October 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)

Speaking to reporters before taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh last night, US President Donald Trump said his plan for Gaza doesn’t get into whether there will be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Asked about Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi’s call for a two-state solution at Monday’s Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump claimed the Egyptian leader was “talking about a different plan. I’m talking about something very much different. We’re talking about rebuilding Gaza.”

“A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some people like the two-state solution. So we’ll have to see. I haven’t commented on that… At some point, I’d decide what I think is right, but I’d be in coordination with other states,” Trump said.

However, the 20-point plan does touch on this issue and even creates an opening for a two-state solution.

“While Gaza redevelopment advances and when the [Palestinian Authority] reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people,” reads point 19.

Point 20 states, “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.”

Anti-Israel protester who chanted ‘put the Zios in the ground’ identified as Oxford student

An anti-Israel protester who chanted “put the Zios in the ground” during a protest in London on October 11 has been identified as Oxford University student, Samuel Williams.

London’s Metropolitan Police says it is investigating the chant.

“Gaza, Gaza, make us proud, put the Zios in the ground,” he chants, as others in the crowd join in.

Williams is studying politics, philosophy and economics at the prestigious university, according to the Daily Mail. He has previously been pictured in photos shared by the Oxford Students Palestine Society.

The monster chanting "Put Zios in the ground" is Samuel Williams, a PPE student @BalliolOxford whose family are from Bavaria, the birthplace of the Nazi party. Will Balliol discipline him? Unlikely, his hate-speech will probably guarantee him a "First".pic.twitter.com/vjw3MuNyjm

— Never Again (@Never_Again2020) October 13, 2025

“Zio” is a slur popularized by KKK leader David Duke and is generally directed at Jewish people.

Investigative journalist David Collier located Williams’ Instagram account, which is now private.

Exclusive: Posting without comment.

From the now private Instagram of Samuel Williams – the 'zios in the ground' Oxford student..

Thread ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fkwONOXlrJ

— David Collier (@mishtal) October 14, 2025

A spokesperson for Oxford University tells the UK Jewish News that the school “condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language urging violence against groups of people or expressing any form of racial hatred. The University’s support for freedom of speech does not extend to any statements including such language.”

“When such language is reported, we will always want to speak to the student concerned, and consider the matter under our disciplinary procedures in line with University and college policies,” the spokesperson says.

“Oxford is unequivocal: there is no place for antisemitism, harassment, or discrimination within our community. We remain firmly committed to protecting the safety and dignity of all our students and staff,” the spokesperson adds.

Egyptian FM: 15 Palestinian technocrats approved to manage postwar Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press ahead of yesterday’s summit that 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer postwar Gaza.

He said their names were already vetted by Israel, without disclosing them.

“We need to deploy them to take care of the daily life of the people in Gaza, and the Board of Peace should support and supervise the flow of finance and money, which will come for the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said, referring to a board that would govern Gaza and be chaired by US President Donald Trump.

Abdelatty said the 15-member committee had already been approved by all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.

He said Hamas members welcomed Trump’s plan. They “have no role in the transitional period. They are committed to that. That is why they are working on an administrative Palestinian committee to be deployed in order to take care of the daily life of the people of Gaza,” Abdelatty said.

For its part, Israel has to comply with a withdrawal from Gaza, allowing a flow of aid and the deployment of the administrative committee on the ground to ensure security for civilians, Abdelatty said. Hamas also must honor its commitments, he said.

Israel won’t reopen Rafah crossing, will limit aid, over Hamas’s failure to return all bodies

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are parked on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, waiting to get access to the Gaza Strip, on October 12, 2025. (AFP)

Israel has decided not to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt tomorrow, as demanded by the ceasefire deal, sanctioning Hamas over its failure to stand by its commitment to return the bodies of all dead hostages it is still holding in the Strip.

Israel will also reduce the amount of aid flowing into Gaza as part of the sanctions against the terror group.

The moves come following assessments by Israeli defense officials that Hamas has not made significant efforts to return the remaining bodies of the hostages.

Yesterday, the terror group released 20 living hostages and transferred the bodies of four dead hostages, with 24 bodies still remaining in Gaza.

Hostage families urge Witkoff ‘to pull out every stop’ to ensure Hamas returns all bodies

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (C) speaks as Jared Kushner (L) and his wife Ivanka Trump look on, during a gathering at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. October 11, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum pens a letter to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, urging him to intervene after Hamas only returned the bodies of four out of the 28 deceased hostages they are holding in Gaza.

The families thank Witkoff for his work on the ceasefire-hostage release deal, but add, “What we feared is now happening before our eyes.”

“Only four deceased hostages are coming home today. Only four families will be able to bring their loved ones to the dignified burial they so deserve and begin to find closure. How is this possible? How can we accept that the others remain behind?” the families say.

“We must ensure that all remaining hostages come home. We cannot rest, and we know you will not rest, until every last hostage is returned,” the letter reads.

“We ask you to pull out every stop and leave no stone unturned in demanding that Hamas fulfill their end of the agreement and bring all the remaining hostages home,” the families write.

“Your assurance that you will not leave anyone behind echoes in our hearts and gives us strength to continue. Your words — that you would dig with your own fingers to find our loved ones left behind — are forever etched in our memory and sustain us through the darkest moments,” the letter says.

4 Israelis reportedly arrested for drug use while celebrating war’s end in Thailand

In this July 5, 2020, file photo, fishing vessels and boats used to ferry tourists sit idle along a deserted beach on the popular tourist island of Koh Phangan, Thailand. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck)

Four Israeli men claimed to have been celebrating the end of the war in Gaza when they were arrested this morning in possession of party drugs at a luxury villa on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, the Bangkok Post reports.

According to the report, local police responded to a noise complaint at 2:40 a.m. when they found the group of men, who claimed to be soldiers, in possession of cocaine and powdered ecstasy.

The group tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamines at Koh Phangan Hospital, the report says.

First group of Palestinian bodies released by Israel arrive in Gaza

A first batch of bodies of Palestinians killed during the Israel-Hamas war has arrived in the Gaza Strip after being released by Israel, local health authorities tell Reuters.

Israel still holds hundreds of bodies of Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, including those of terror operatives who took part in the massacre that sparked the war, and the fighting afterwards.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Egyptian teams inside Gaza working to locate bodies of hostages — report

Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings as displaced residents return to their homes in the in al-Zahra area, north of the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, on October 14, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Egyptian teams are inside Gaza assisting efforts to locate and extract the bodies of deceased hostages, the Qatari Al Araby news outlet reports.

According to the report, Israeli teams are consulting with Egyptian officials to resolve the matter.

Yesterday, Hamas only returned the bodies of four hostages, drawing accusations from Israel that the terror group was violating its commitment to the ceasefire deal.

Iran sentences two French nationals to jail for allegedly spying for Israel, France

Iranian authorities hand down two French nationals lengthy prison sentences after convicting them on multiple charges, including spying for Israel, the judiciary says.

The judiciary’s Mizan Online website does not identify the two nationals but says they were handed several sentences on charges including “spying for the French intelligence,” “association to commit a crime against national security,” and “intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime.”

Iran frequently accuses foreign nationals of spying without providing evidence.

Defense officials said to recommend Rafah crossing stays shut until bodies of 24 hostages returned

Flowers and a sign written in Hebrew that reads 'Sorry' are placed on a bench outside Abu Kabir, the forensic institute where the identification process is being carried out on the four hostage bodies that were handed over by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

The security establishment has recommended to the political echelon that the transfer of “the full amount of” aid to Gaza should be halted, and the Rafah border crossing not opened, until the bodies of 24 dead hostages are handed over by Hamas, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Channel 12 news cites an unnamed official who says that Israel believes that there is no “motivation” for Hamas to return the bodies.

Yesterday, the terror group released 20 living hostages and transferred the bodies of four dead hostages, with 24 bodies still remaining in Gaza.

The families of the hostages have accused the government of evading responsibility and giving up leverage it has on the matter.

Spain PM says ceasefire does not mean impunity for Israeli ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends the 2025 Global Progress Action Summit in central London on September 26, 2025 (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the truce between Hamas and Israel must not come at the expense of holding accountable those responsible for the “genocide” in Gaza.

“Peace cannot mean forgetting; it cannot mean impunity,” the Socialist premier says during an interview with Cadena Ser radio.

“Those who were key actors in the genocide perpetrated in Gaza must answer to justice, there can be no impunity,” he adds when asked about the possibility of legal proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel has denied all accusations of genocide.

Freed hostages Bar Kuperstein, Rom Braslavski make heart signs from hospital window to well-wishers

Freed hostages Bar Kuperstein and Rom Braslavski made heart signs from the window of the hospital as well-wishers sing in the street, a video circulating on social media shows.

The crowd had gathered to celebrate the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah outside the Sheba Hospital, where a number of the freed hostages, as well as injured soldiers, are being treated.

Simchat Torah is also the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, onslaught according to the Jewish calendar.

חגיגות בשיבא, חטופים יצאו לחלון – וסימנו ???? | צפוhttps://t.co/cFmpQTh3KR pic.twitter.com/3ZhvLiDdEO

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) October 14, 2025

UN, Red Cross say all Gaza crossings must be opened to allow in aid

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are parked on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, waiting to get access to the Gaza Strip, on October 12, 2025. (AFP)

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross call for all crossings into Gaza to be opened to allow desperately needed aid into the war-torn Palestinian territory.

“That’s what humanitarians, including ICRC, have been calling for in the last hours, is making sure that, because of the huge needs, all entry points can be open,” Red Cross spokesman Christian Cardon tells reporters in Geneva.

The UN humanitarian agency’s spokesman Jens Laerke adds: “We need all of them open.”

The demand comes as Israel and the hostage families say that Hamas is not upholding its commitments under the ceasefire by failing to return the bodies of 24 dead hostages.

Hostage families slam government after bodies not returned by Hamas: ‘Attempting to erase responsibility’

The 24 fallen hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, as of October 14, 2025. Top row, from left: Uriel Baruch, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Dror Or, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Tamir Adar. Second row, from left: Inbar Haiman, Oz Daniel, Hadar Goldin, Manny Godard, Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch. Third row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Eitan Levy, Itay Chen, Asaf Hamami, Tal Haimi, Arie Zalmanowicz. Bottom row: Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Nimrodi, Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit. (Times of Israel combo; courtesy)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says that it will hold an emergency meeting tonight after Hamas failed to hand over the bodies of 24 dead hostages.

“An agreement must be upheld by both sides, its non-compliance and the failure of Hamas to return the hostages must be met with a halt to the continued implementation of the agreement by the Israeli government and the mediators,” the forum says.

The forum slams the government, saying its “attempt to erase its immediate responsibility for the return of the 24 [dead] hostages, after the return of 20 [living] hostages yesterday, will be a cry for generations for the Israeli people.”

“Whoever takes down flags and the pin from the lapel, whoever denies his responsibility through stormy applause betrays the values ​​of Jewish morality and violates the signed agreement,” the forum says, apparently referring to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana who yesterday took off the hostage pin he was wearing while introducing US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, and said he had ordered the removal of the pictures of the captives from the plenum. There were also reports that Transportation Minister Miri Regev ordered workers to remove the flags and posters of hostages on highways.

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing an attempt to remove the hostages from the agenda and the pictures of the hostages from the public agenda.
Please, the struggle is not over yet. Twenty-four of our brothers and sisters are still being held by Hamas, do not allow them to be sacrificed,” the forum says.

???????????????? Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana removes his yellow hostage pin before introducing @POTUS Donald J. Trump. “Thousands of years from now, the Jewish people will remember you.” pic.twitter.com/y0wQLqbMYK

— RJC (@RJC) October 13, 2025

Returning bodies of all dead hostages may take time and some may never be found, Red Cross says

People carry flowers and Israeli flags upon the arrival of vehicles transporting the bodies of four hostages, in front of the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv on October 13, 2025. The Hebrew sign reads, "Sorry." (Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

The International Committee of the Red Cross says that it will take time before the bodies of all the dead hostages are returned, calling it a “massive challenge” given the difficulties of finding remains amid Gaza’s rubble.

“That’s an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That’s a massive challenge,” says the ICRC’s spokesperson Christian Cardon, adding it could take days or weeks, with a possibility some will never be found.

Hamas handed over the bodies of four dead hostages, with Israel and the families of the remaining 24 accusing the terror group of breaching its commitments under the ceasefire.

Yesterday, the remaining 20 living hostages taken on October 7, 2023, were released by Palestinian terror groups.

Israeli gymnasts to remain excluded from world championship after sport’s highest court rejects request

Israel's Artem Dolgopyat competes on the Floor during the Men's Team Finals event at the Artistic Gymnastics European Championships, in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast, northeastern Italy, on April 28, 2024. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP)

Israel’s gymnasts will not be able to compete at the upcoming world championships in Indonesia after the sport’s highest court rejects requests from the Israeli federation (IGF) to “guarantee the participation” of its team.

Indonesian authorities denied Israeli gymnasts entry visas for the championships later this month, before the IGF demanded the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to either guarantee its athletes’ presence or to move or cancel the event.

Israel says pressure on Hamas will continue, intensify until bodies of all dead hostages returned

The 24 fallen hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, as of October 14, 2025. Top row, from left: Uriel Baruch, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Dror Or, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Tamir Adar. Second row, from left: Inbar Haiman, Oz Daniel, Hadar Goldin, Manny Godard, Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch. Third row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Eitan Levy, Itay Chen, Asaf Hamami, Tal Haimi, Arie Zalmanowicz. Bottom row: Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Nimrodi, Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit. (Times of Israel combo; courtesy)

Amid growing anger after Hamas returned the bodies of only four of the 28 dead hostages yesterday, the Israeli government’s pointman on the hostages, Gal Hirsch, tells the families that pressure on the terror group will continue and intensify until it has kept to the commitments it agreed to under the ceasefire.

The army said earlier its representatives notified the families of Guy Illouz, 26, Nepal national Bipin Joshi, 23, and two other hostages whose names will be published later, that their bodies were returned.

“At this difficult time, our hearts are with the Illouz family, with the Joshi family, and with you, with all of you, the dear families,” Hirsch says.

“We will continue and intensify pressure on Hamas until the return of the hostages has been completed,” he says. “The issue was discussed yesterday in the talks between the prime minister and President [Donald] Trump, and was also expressed last night in [Egyptian] President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sissi’s words.”

“The issue is also being addressed with other international parties and continues in our actions (those of the negotiating team) with the mediators at this very moment. I am in constant contact with our representatives in the talks and have been updated on the details. The issue is at the center of the agenda,” he says.

“The mission is not complete, we are absolutely determined and committed that we will not stop until all the hostages are located and returned home,” Hirsch says.

At the conference on Gaza’s future held yesterday in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, Sissi said he was working to ensure that the deal is fully implemented, including by securing the release of all deceased hostages.

Yael Adar, the mother of slain hostage Tamir Adar, last night delivered a searing criticism of the Israeli leadership’s handling of the issue of the return of hostages’ bodies, telling Channel 12 that the government “betrayed” families like hers whose loved ones were killed in captivity and have not been returned.

Erdogan says he believes Gulf, US and Europe will quickly provide financing for Gaza reconstruction

US President Donald Trump greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025 (Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will seek the support of Gulf states, the United States and Europe for the reconstruction of Gaza under the new ceasefire deal, and he believes project financing will be provided swiftly.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a global summit on Gaza’s future held in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, Erdogan says Western countries’ decisions to recognize the Palestinian state should be seen as building blocks of a two-state solution, according to a transcript shared by his office.

IDF: Bodies of hostages returned by Hamas confirmed as Guy Illouz, Bipin Joshi and 2 others

Israeli security forces pay their respects as the convoy carrying the bodies of four hostages arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, on October 13, 2025 (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)

The bodies of the four hostages Hamas returned to Israel last night have been identified by forensic experts, and their families have been notified, the military says.

The IDF says its representatives notified the families of Guy Illouz, 26, Nepal national Bipin Joshi, 23, and two other hostages whose names will be published later, that their bodies were returned.

Hamas yesterday said it had also returned the bodies of Yossi Sharabi and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez.

According to the military, citing intelligence information, Illouz was wounded and kidnapped alive by Hamas terrorists near the Tel Gama area on the Gaza border, after fleeing the Nova party near Re’im on the morning of October 7, 2023.

Illouz died of his wounds during his captivity in Gaza after not receiving medical treatment, the IDF says.

Joshi, a Nepali agricultural student whose death had not been formally confirmed by Israel until now, was abducted from a bomb shelter at Kibbutz Alumim.

The IDF says it assesses that he was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war.

Final conclusions will be determined once the Abu Kabir forensic institute completes examinations into the circumstances of their deaths, the IDF adds.

The military again repeats that “Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the bodies,” after the terror group returned only the bodies of four of the 28 dead hostages yesterday.

Top row (L-R) Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, 2nd row (L-R) Bipin Joshi, Daniel Perez

IDF: 5 Palestinians killed in Gaza City had crossed ceasefire line and neared troops

The IDF says the five Palestinian suspects who were killed after approaching forces in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya neighborhood this morning had crossed the so-called Yellow Line, to which the military withdrew as part of the ceasefire.

Attempts were made to disperse the suspects, and after they refused to, the IDF says it carried out fire to “remove the threat.”

The army denies reports that the suspects or other gunmen had managed to breach an army encampment in the area.

“The IDF calls on Gaza residents to follow its instructions and not to approach the troops deployed in the area,” the military adds.

WCK makes food for freed hostages, their families in Tel Aviv as it ramps up Gaza operations

Volunteers with the World Central Kitchen are preparing food for the freed hostages and their families at hospitals in Tel Aviv, as their teams continue to make meals for Gazans.

“Today in Tel Aviv, WCK and our local partner Wix served dinner to released hostages and their loved ones when they were finally able to reunite after two years,” the organization says, referring to the tech company.

“We also delivered comforting meals to families of hostages at local hospitals that are staying with their relatives as they begin to recover,” the organization says on Facebook.

In Gaza, the organization will “keep increasing the number of hot meals… plus hundreds of thousands of pita bread plus water… every day teams will work harder and more organized opening new kitchens and increasing output in the ones already open!” the organization’s founder, chef José Andrés, says on X.

The WCK, which operates in crisis areas worldwide, has been active in both Israel and Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault, which triggered the war.

It briefly suspended operations in Gaza for a month last year, when the IDF struck a WCK convoy by mistake, killing seven aid workers.

Freed hostages to undergo intensive medical testing, examinations in coming hours

Newly released hostage Matan Zangauker (holding flag) arrives at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, October 13, 2025. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

The hostages freed yesterday will undergo intensive medical testing and examination in the coming hours, Channel 12 news reports.

The outlet says that the 20 men released yesterday will spend time with their parents and siblings, but that the focus at the moment is their health — both physical and mental.

The former hostages have told family they endured long periods of starvation and were severely tortured while held captive in Gaza. Many of them also suffered injuries on October 7, 2023.

The last 20 living hostages released yesterday as part of a ceasefire deal were soldiers or civilians considered soldiers by the Palestinian terror groups holding them, and therefore likely experienced much harsher conditions than some of the captives released in previous rounds.

3 Palestinians said killed in IDF strike after apparently nearing troops in Gaza City

Palestinian media reports that three people were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza City’s eastern Shejiaya neighborhood, which is under IDF control as part of the ceasefire agreement.

According to a military source, the three suspects had approached troops operating in the area. The soldiers first fired warning shots, and as the suspects continued to approach, they were targeted by an aircraft.

The IDF has repeatedly warned Palestinians against approaching areas in Gaza under Israeli military control during the ceasefire.

Biden welcomes return of hostages, ceasefire deal: ‘I commend President Trump and his team’

US President Joe Biden speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 13, 2025, as he delivers his final foreign policy speech. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)

Former US President Joe Biden welcomes the return of the 20 living hostages and the ceasefire agreement, congratulating US President Donald Trump for getting ‘a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.’

“I am deeply grateful and relieved that this day has come – for the last living 20 hostages who have been through unimaginable hell and are finally reunited with their families and loved ones, and for the civilians in Gaza who have experienced immeasurable loss and will finally get the chance to rebuild their lives,” writes Biden.

“The road to this deal was not easy. 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,” writes Biden.

“Now, with the backing of the United States and the world, the Middle East is on a path to peace that I hope endures and a future for Israelis and Palestinians alike with equal measures of peace, dignity and safety,” Biden says.

Mother of freed hostage Maxim Herkin: ‘He doesn’t talk about what happened in those 2 years’

Maxim Herkin is reunited with family after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on October 13, 2025 (IDF)

The mother of released hostage Maxim Herkin says that her son is very weak and has not told her about his two years held in captivity by terrorists in Gaza.

“My life has come back to me. I slept for the first time,” Natasha tells Channel 12. “He is very weak. He has lost a lot of weight. He doesn’t talk at all about what happened in those two years.”

She says that she had been afraid to campaign for his release.

He added: “I was afraid to speak, he [had served in the IDF in the past as] an officer, I was afraid they would take revenge on him.”

Herkin, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, who was 35 at the time of his abduction, has a three-year-old daughter, and was the primary provider for his mother and 11-year-old brother. He attended the Nova festival by chance, invited by friends at the last minute. It was the first time he had gone to a rave.

Dani, the father of freed hostage Omri Miran, tells the Kan public broadcaster about his emotional reunion with his son.

“It was the strongest hug I could ever give a human being. The first words I said to him were ‘I love you, I missed you,’ and he replied, ‘Dad, me too.'”

Omri Miran, who was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, was reunited yesterday with his father, his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, and his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2.

Released hostage Omri Miran is reunited with his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, and wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, at Ichilov Hospital after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on October 13, 2025 (GPO)

Mamdani’s far-left DSA condemns ceasefire, backs Palestinian ‘resistance’

New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a campaign rally in New York on Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

The Democratic Socialists of America, the far-left party of New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, criticizes the Gaza ceasefire.

“The Palestinian resistance announced that a ceasefire agreement has been reached and would entail the end of this intensified stage of the genocide,” the national DSA says in a statement. “This will not end Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people or the theft and occupation of Palestinian lands. A conditional ceasefire agreement does not wash the hands of the ruling class.”

The party “welcomes the relief” for Palestinians and expresses its “strongest solidarity to our comrades in Palestine,” but the statement is mostly critical. The statement does not mention the hostages or Hamas.

“DSA harbors no illusions that Israel will honor any negotiated agreement that preserves Palestinian life or self-determination. Past ceasefires only slowed the carnage, and Israel continued military action with impunity,” the statement says.

“DSA stands for the full freedoms and self-determination of the Palestinian people including the end of Israel’s colonization and occupation of all Arab lands, equality, and the right of all refugees to return to their homes and properties,” the party says.

The DSA says it backs the Thawabit, the Palestinian principles that uphold “Palestinians’ rights to resist occupation.”

The group vows to continue protests “to end US complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid.”

Mamdani’s own statement is also critical of Israel.

“Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,” he says.

“We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide. The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies,” Mamdani says.

Report: Israel demanding progress today on return of dead hostages, but is lacking in leverage

The 24 fallen hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, as of October 14, 2025. Top row, from left: Uriel Baruch, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Dror Or, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Tamir Adar. Second row, from left: Inbar Haiman, Oz Daniel, Hadar Goldin, Manny Godard, Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch. Third row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Eitan Levy, Itay Chen, Asaf Hamami, Tal Haimi, Arie Zalmanowicz. Bottom row: Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Nimrodi, Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit. (Times of Israel combo; courtesy)

Israel has reportedly set the end of today as a deadline for progress on the issue of Hamas returning the bodies of the dead hostages, after it accused the terror group of failing to stand by the commitments it agreed to under the ceasefire by not releasing them all.

Mediators have said the terror group will have trouble locating all of the bodies; however, according to the Kan public broadcaster, Israel believes Hamas is already holding some of the bodies, but did not hand them over.

A source familiar with the matter told Kan that “the writing was on the wall, but only now are we discussing in any significant way the options for response.”

The source said that Israel does not have enough effective leverage on the issue.

An Arab diplomat from a mediating country tells Haaretz that mediators are working on the issue, and do not believe that the Gaza agreement is in jeopardy.

Yesterday, Hamas handed over the caskets holding what the terror group said were the bodies of four slain hostages from Gaza. It remained silent on the fate of the 24 other dead hostages it was holding.

The caskets were taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv, where they will undergo identification. Hamas has in the past sent back unrelated bodies instead of hostages.

Iran accuses US of ‘hostile and criminal behavior,’ says Trump’s call for dialogue inconsistent

US President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

Iran’s foreign ministry criticizes US President Donald Trump’s call for dialogue, accusing Washington of “hostile and criminal behavior” following his remarks to the Knesset about being ready to strike a deal with Tehran.

“The desire for peace and dialogue expressed by the US president is at odds with the hostile and criminal behavior of the United States toward the Iranian people,” the statement reads.

In June, the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities after five rounds of indirect nuclear talks with Tehran that stalled over issues including nuclear enrichment.

Trump told the Knesset yesterday that Iran “took a big hit” in the 12-day war, but that it would be great if a peace deal could be hammered out between Iran and Israel.

Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy Israel.

Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.

Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.

The attacks killed 32 people in Israel — the most recent death was yesterday when 76-year-old Aharon Mizrahi succumbed to his wounds sustained in a missile strike in Ramat Gan — and injured over 3,000.

NYT, Newsmax among news outlets who say they won’t sign new Pentagon rules for reporters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, June 22, 2025, after the US military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to destroy the country's nuclear program. (AP/Alex Brandon)

News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network say they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.

Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Reuters also publicly join the group that says it will not be signing.

“Reuters is bound by its commitment to accurate, impartial and independent news,” the agency says in a statement. “We also steadfastly believe in the press protections afforded by the US Constitution, the unrestricted flow of information and journalism that serves the public interest without fear or favor. The Pentagon’s new restrictions erode these fundamental values.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacts by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by today must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.

The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.

Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, say that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”

“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell says. “This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”

US releases full text of peace declaration signed by Trump and heads of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey

The White House releases the full text of the declaration that US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey signed in Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at enshrining the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity

We, the undersigned, welcome the truly historic commitment and implementation by all parties to the Trump Peace Agreement, ending more than two years of profound suffering and loss — opening a new chapter for the region defined by hope, security, and a shared vision for peace and prosperity.

We support and stand behind President Trump’s sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza and bring lasting peace to the Middle East. Together, we will implement this agreement in a manner that ensures peace, security, stability, and opportunity for all peoples of the region, including both Palestinians and Israelis.

We understand that lasting peace will be one in which both Palestinians and Israelis can prosper with their fundamental human rights protected, their security guaranteed, and their dignity upheld.

We affirm that meaningful progress emerges through cooperation and sustained dialogue, and that strengthening bonds among nations and peoples serves the enduring interests of regional and global peace and stability.

We recognize the deep historical and spiritual significance of this region to the faith communities whose roots are intertwined with the land of the region — Christianity, Islam, and Judaism among them. Respect for these sacred connections and the protection of their heritage sites shall remain paramount in our commitment to peaceful coexistence.

We are united in our determination to dismantle extremism and radicalization in all its forms. No society can flourish when violence and racism is normalized, or when radical ideologies threaten the fabric of civil life. We commit to addressing the conditions that enable extremism and to promoting education, opportunity, and mutual respect as foundations for lasting peace.

We hereby commit to the resolution of future disputes through diplomatic engagement and negotiation rather than through force or protracted conflict. We acknowledge that the Middle East cannot endure a persistent cycle of prolonged warfare, stalled negotiations, or the fragmentary, incomplete, or selective application of successfully negotiated terms. The tragedies witnessed over the past two years must serve as an urgent reminder that future generations deserve better than the failures of the past.

We seek tolerance, dignity, and equal opportunity for every person, ensuring this region is a place where all can pursue their aspirations in peace, security, and economic prosperity, regardless of race, faith, or ethnicity.

We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny.

In this spirit, we welcome the progress achieved in establishing comprehensive and durable peace arrangements in the Gaza Strip, as well as the friendly and mutually beneficial relationship between Israel and its regional neighbors. We pledge to work collectively to implement and sustain this legacy, building institutional foundations upon which future generations may thrive together in peace.

We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace.

Donald J. Trump
President of the United States of America

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
Emir of the State of Qatar

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of the Republic of Türkiye

Trump: ‘I told Netanyahu I didn’t want to bring up the pardon’ but was moved to do so by ‘good’ round of applause

US President Donald Trump (L) holds hands and speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)

US President Donald Trump tells reporters that he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before he spoke in the Knesset that he did not want to call for him to be pardoned while addressing the Knesset, amid the premier’s yearslong trial on corruption charges.

Asked by a reporter on Air Force One as he flew home whether he had told Netanyahu “beforehand that you were going to go off script,” Trump replied: “I told him I didn’t want to bring up the pardon, but it was just a perfect spot. It was good timing, wouldn’t you say?”

“He was getting a very good hand [round of applause], and when they stopped I said, ‘why don’t you give this guy a pardon?’ If he didn’t get a good hand, I wouldn’t have done that.”

הנה הדברים מול מצלמה: טראמפ מאשר שנתניהו ביקש ממנו להעלות את נושא החנינה בנאום. טראמפ בהתחלה לא רצה – אבל ראה שזה ״טיימינג נכון״.
קרדיט: דף הטלגרם של יוסף ישראל-חדשות מהעולם. pic.twitter.com/0CE0QHJspJ

— Erez Lapidot (@Erez_Lapidot) October 14, 2025

Ramat Gan man dies of wounds from Iran missile attack in June that killed his partner

The Ramat Gan Municipality announces that Aharon Mizrahi, a 76-year-old resident of the central city who was injured during an Iranian ballistic missile attack amid the Israel-Iran war in June, has died of his wounds.

Mizrahi was together with his partner, Etti Cohen Engel, when the missile struck, and she was killed in the attack.

עצוב כל כך! אהרון מזרחי, בן 76 מרמת גן, שנפצע קשה מפגיעת טיל איראני ברחוב תרצה בזמן מלחמת "עם כלביא", נפטר הלילה מפצעיו. יהי זכרו ברוך. pic.twitter.com/gPUzzL3l4k

— לאה אלישע ???? (@Leahelisha75) October 13, 2025

Hamas said to kill over 30 Gazans as terror group moves to reassert its grip on Strip

A greatly weakened Hamas has sought to reassert itself in the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire took hold, killing at least 33 people in a crackdown on groups that have tested its grip and appearing to get a US nod to temporarily police the shattered enclave.

Pummeled by Israel during the war ignited by the October 7, 2023, attack that it led, Hamas has gradually sent its operatives back into the streets of Gaza since the ceasefire began on Friday, moving cautiously in case it suddenly collapses, according to two security sources in the territory.

On Monday, Hamas deployed members of its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing as it freed the last living hostages seized from Israel two years ago. It was a reminder of one of the major challenges facing US President Donald Trump’s effort to secure a lasting deal for Gaza, as the US, Israel and many other nations demand Hamas disarm.

Reuters footage shows dozens of Hamas fighters lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, one wearing a shoulder patch identifying him as a member of the elite “Shadow Unit” that Hamas sources say was tasked with holding hostages.

One of the Gaza sources, a security official, says that since the ceasefire, Hamas forces have killed 32 members of “a gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City,” while six of its personnel had also been killed.

Later on Monday, a video circulating on social media appears to show several masked gunmen, some of them wearing green headbands resembling ones worn by Hamas, shooting with machine guns at least seven men after forcing them to kneel in the street. Posts identify the video as filmed in Gaza on Monday. Civilian spectators cheer “Allah Akbar,” or God is Great, and call those killed “collaborators.”

Mother of slain hostage says government betrayed families like hers because deal left insufficient leverage over Hamas to get bodies back

Yael Adar, mother of hostage Tamir Adar held in the Gaza Strip, at a press conference in Tel Aviv on December 4, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Yael Adar, the mother of slain hostage Tamir Adar, delivers a searing criticism of the Israeli leadership’s handling of the issue of the return of hostages’ bodies, telling Channel 12 that the government “betrayed” families like hers whose loved ones were killed in captivity and have not been returned.

Adar says she had asked officials ahead of the hostage deal announced last week what leverage Israel would have to recover the bodies of the 28 dead hostages held by Hamas, only four of whom were returned today. Hamas was supposed to return all 48 hostages, living and dead, by today, but had warned that it would have trouble locating some of the dead bodies.

“They told me that a live hostage is worth 100 Palestinian prisoners, including life-termers,” she says. “But a dead hostage is worth 15 Palestinian bodies. Why not 100 dead Palestinians?”

She says Hamas did not breach the agreement, arguing that, because of the way it was drafted, “Israel agreed there was no [absolute] deadline.” The terms of the deal were not definitive as regards what might happen if Hamas failed to return all the bodies, with some leeway for ongoing searches for the bodies which, she says, might go on for months or years.

The 24 fallen hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, as of October 14, 2025. Top row, from left: Uriel Baruch, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Dror Or, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Tamir Adar. Second row, from left: Inbar Heiman, Sgt. Oz Daniel, Lt. Hadar Goldin, Manny Godard, Sgt. First Class Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch.
Third row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Eitan Levy, Sgt. Itay Chen, Col. Asaf Hamami, Tal Chaimi, Aryeh Zalmanovich. Bottom row: Sudthisak Rinthalak, Maj. Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Nimrodi, Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit. (Times of Israel combo; courtesy)

Adar also criticizes Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana for removing his hostage pin, saying it symbolized an attitude that the hostage issue “is over.”

Her remarks come as questions mount over Hamas’s compliance with the “Comprehensive End of Gaza War” document signed last Thursday in Egypt. The deal stipulated that Hamas had to release within 72 hours of the ceasefire — by noon today — all 20 living hostages, as it did, and the bodies of all dead hostages it holds or can locate.

But the document also leaves open the possibility that if Hamas has information about the whereabouts of deceased hostages whose bodies it cannot retrieve within that timeframe, those details will be transferred to mediators for follow-up at a later stage.

According to a CNN report published last week, three Israeli officials confirmed that Hamas may not be able to find all of the 28 dead hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known for months that this is the case, according to the officials. One official said that seven to nine bodies might not be retrieved, while another put that figure at between 10 and 15. There had been no suggestion ahead of today’s deadline that Hamas might release as few as four of the 28 bodies.

After Adar’s interview, Channel 12 reports that Qatari officials had informed Israeli representatives in Sharm el-Sheikh last week that Hamas held 15 to 16 hostages’ bodies ready to return, and was looking for more.