Oct. 25: Israel said to know Hamas could release more hostages’ bodies, expects return of two Sunday

Lebanese media reports Israeli strike targeting car in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media reports an Israeli strike targeting a car in the southern Lebanon town of Qlaileh.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

https://twitter.com/Annahar/status/1982187156324954373

Suspect arrested in connection with earlier arson attack against Palestinian Bedouins

The Israel Police say that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the arson attack in the village of Mukhmas, in the West Bank earlier today.

In response to a query from The Times of Israel, the police say they arrived at the scene “after clashes broke out between settlers and Palestinians in the area.”

They note that two Israeli settlers and two Israeli activists who were aiding the Palestinians were injured and removed from the scene for medical treatment.

“Later, a report was received of four structures being set on fire in the nearby Bedouin community,” police say, adding that firefighting teams were dispatched to the location.

“While Binyamin Police Station officers were taking testimonies, they spotted a masked man emerging from one of the buildings. He was arrested on the spot. A nearby Israeli vehicle was also located and towed,” the police say.

The suspect and evidence were transferred to the Binyamin police station for investigation.

Police said they will continue investigating the circumstances of the incident until all those involved are brought to justice.”

Trump says Hamas holding bodies of hostages it could return immediately, he’s ‘watching closely’ to make sure it does

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, October 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US President Donald Trump says Hamas must “quickly” resume handing over the bodies of deceased hostages to Israel or it will start facing consequences.

Hamas has released the remains of 15 deceased hostages, while the bodies of 13 others remain held in Gaza. The terror group has claimed that it is unable to access all of the bodies and does not know where some of them are, but Israeli officials have said they do not believe this to be the case.

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING,” Trump writes on his Truth Social platform.

“Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action. Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” continues the US president.

“Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations,” he warns.

“Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”

IDF says two Israelis injured in clash with Palestinians after settler arson attack north of Jerusalem

Following earlier reports of a settler attack near Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem, in which the homes and olive groves of Bedouin residents were set on fire, an IDF spokesperson tells the Times of Israel that in addition to the two Israeli activists injured helping the Palestinians, two other Israelis — apparently settlers — were injured.

The spokesperson says that IDF soldiers, along with Border Police and police forces arrived at the scene following reports of “Israeli civilians,” or settlers, arriving in the area, where Palestinians were present earlier today.

“In the area, burned olive trees and damaged property were identified. No casualties were reported,” the spokesperson says.

The spokesperson says that “all Israeli civilians left the area” upon the arrival of the forces, but that clashes broke out “with several Palestinians.”

“During the confrontation, two Israeli civilians were lightly injured and received medical treatment at the scene, while two Israeli women who were accompanying the Palestinians evacuated themselves for medical treatment,” the IDF spokesperson says.

Palestinian media reported earlier that several Palestinians were also injured in the incident.

The IDF says forces “worked to restore order and disperse the clash.”

“Further handling of the incident has been transferred to the Israel Police,” it adds.

Leaders of anti-Hamas militias come out against Turkish, Qatari involvement in postwar Gaza

Leaders of militias operating in areas under Israeli control in the Gaza Strip tell Channel 12 that they oppose any involvement of Qatari or Turkish forces in post-war Gaza.

Hussam al-Astal, the leader of a militia in the Khan Younis area, charges that Turkey “supports Hamas and protects Hamas,” and says he considers both Turkey and Qatar to be “war criminals.”

He says, however, that “anyone who helps us against Hamas will be welcomed.”

“Hamas brought destruction upon Israel and upon the Gaza Strip,” al-Astal tells the Israeli news outlet. “During the war, when a gunman hid among the tents, Israel would kill him, and then people would say that Israel murdered children.

“The one responsible for the deaths of women and children in Gaza is Hamas, not Israel,” he asserts.

Rasan al-Dahini, a senior figure in Yasser Abu Shabab’s militia in Rafah, similarly charges that “Turkey is not working for peace; they openly and explicitly support Hamas.”

Responding to claims that the anti-Hamas militias would be forced to flee to Israel for safety once the IDF has fully withdrawn from Gaza, as members of the South Lebanon Army did in 2000 after the IDF left Lebanon, al-Dahini says he is from Rafah and will not leave his home under any circumstances.

He also says that the weapons obtained by Abu Shabab’s clan will not be used against Israel in the future.

High-profile entertainer said arrested on suspicion of murder after man killed in central-Israel

Police have reportedly arrested a woman well known in the entertainment world on suspicion of murder this past week, after a man was killed in central Israel.

She is one of several suspects to be detained as part of the investigation. A court-issued gag order prevents the identities of both the victim and the suspects from being made public.

The high-profile suspect had previously been embroiled in an international probe into “moral offenses,” which involved Israeli police, several Western European police forces and Interpol, Channel 12 reports.

A court has extended the remand of the detained suspects twice so far, according to the outlet, as police continue to investigate the incident.

Peace activist whose parents were murdered on Oct. 7 calls to end ‘political arrests’ of Israelis, administrative detention of Palestinians

Peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents, Bilha and Yakov Inon, were murdered in Kibbutz Netiv Ha’Asarah on October 7, 2023, makes a case for optimism as he speaks to roughly 100 people gathered outside the IDF headquarters’ Begin Road gate.

Inon says his late father was “the greatest farmer in the world” and always knew things would get better, no matter how bad the year’s crops were.

“Next year will be better,” says Inon, citing his father.

He goes on to sing the praises of the so-called “dumpster detainees,” six anti-government protesters arrested for torching dumpsters and inadvertently setting a car ablaze near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence last month.

The six protesters are “in a cell, political prisoners of a repressive regime,” says Inon. “My heart is with their families.”

“But my heart, which was broken into thousands of thousands of pieces on October 7, is not just with them — my heart is also with the Palestinian friend my children were with in the summer camp run by the bereaved families forum,” says Inon, referring to the Parents Circle-Families Forum, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones to the conflict.

The aforementioned Palestinian friend, a 15-year-old, is one of some 3,500 Palestinians being held in administrative detention, a practice which allows Israeli security forces to detain Palestinians, often for months on end, without charge, trial, or access to legal counsel.

“No to political arrests of Israelis; no to administrative detention of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation,” says Inon. “Liberty for all, justice for all, equality for all.”

Inon’s speech and the remarks of other speakers are difficult to hear on one side of the platform where they are speaking, due to the presence of a pro-Netanyahu activist arguing with protesters.

She holds a small microphone and is accompanied by a young man recording her arguments on his phone, apparently to be uploaded to social media. The arguments persist after the demonstration disperses, with some protesters all too eager to take the bait.

Trump says Doha willing to contribute to peacekeeping troops in Gaza after meeting with Qatar’s emir

US President Donald Trump, center, meets with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, left, and Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, October 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US President Donald Trump says that efforts to stabilize Gaza were advancing and that an international force would be deployed soon, following a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during a refueling stop in Doha.

“This should be an enduring peace,” Trump tells reporters when asked about the situation in Gaza. He says Qatar would be willing to contribute peace-keeping troops if needed, and he praises the Gulf nation as a great ally and key player in regional stability.

Trump to Qatari emir: ‘You have a safe Mideast right now, and you’re going to keep it that way for a very long time’

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, left, shakes the hand of US President Donald Trump during a meeting aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, October 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US President Donald Trump meets with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani aboard Air Force One while refueling in the Gulf State en route to Malaysia.

Trump hails Al Thani as “one of the great rulers of the world, not just the Middle East.”

“He’s beloved and respected by his country. I don’t know what’s more important, being loved or respected?” Trump asks the emir, “Do you have a preference? Because you have both, you’re one of the few.”

The US president then turns to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who he says “has been my friend and a friend to the world.”

Gesturing toward the two Qatari leaders, Trump says, “We have done a lot together, especially in the last year… Peace to the Middle East, and they were a very big factor in it.”

“We express our thanks, and you have a safe Middle East right now, and you’re going to keep it that way for a very long time,” Trump adds.

President Trump, with UFC playing on the TV in Air Force One’s conference room, meets with the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar.

Trump’s plane is refueling here and picking up Secretary Rubio before heading to Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/KS3m8sFTNW

— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) October 25, 2025

Father of slain hostage accuses Hamas of violating deal, calls to employ ‘every possible sanction’ to force return of bodies

Alon Nimrodi, the father of slain hostage Tamir Nimrodi, speaks at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, days after burying his son, on October 25, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Alon Nimrodi, who recently buried his slain soldier son Tamir after his body was returned under the Gaza ceasefire, calls at Hostages Square for Israel to ensure the return of the 13 slain hostages still in the Strip, and to “employ every possible sanction against the Hamas terrorist organization, which violates the deal time after time, and demand it completely fulfill the first clause — the return of all the hostages.”

“I hate to say that I was right,” says Nimrodi. “In every meeting I attended with ministers, army and Shin Bet people, including opponents of a deal, I said — demanded — sign the deal and then we’ll take care of Hamas. I said I was convinced they would immediately violate the deal,” he says. “And I was right.”

Under the US-brokered agreement, Hamas was required to return the last 20 living hostages within 72 hours of Israel’s initial October 10 withdrawal — which Hamas did — and hand over any available slain hostages or information about them. Israel has accused Hamas of withholding the remains of hostages it has access to.

Also speaking at Hostages Square, Noam Katz says “the deal on the table isn’t perfect, but it’s our best chance” to recover the last bodies of the hostages, including that of her father, Lior Rudaeff.

“If the deal isn’t actualized, we’ll be giving up on this opportunity and return to an endless circle of blood,” she says.

“The past few days have been torture,” says Katz. “There are days when I get up and my body just refuses to move.”

“And I get up, and fight so that I’ll have a grave to go to,” she says. “A place to lay flowers, a place to talk.”

Rubio says US ‘working on outline’ of UN resolution authorizing Gaza peacekeeping force

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media at the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel, October 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says US officials are getting input on a possible UN resolution or international agreement to authorize a multinational force in Gaza and will discuss the issue in Qatar on Sunday.

“Many of the countries that have expressed an interest in participating at some level, whether it be monetary or personnel or both, are going to need that (a UN resolution or international agreement) because their domestic laws require it,” Rubio tells reporters traveling on his plane between Israel and Qatar en route to Asia.

“So we have a whole team working on that outline of it.”

Separately, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott says Rubio spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today.

The call, he says, discussed “our collective effort to implement President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza,” and “affirmed the strategic relationship between the US and Israel.”

According to the Israeli readout of the call, Netanyahu and Rubio discussed the American diplomat’s trip to Israel.

Netanyahu thanked Rubio for his support and commitment to the US-Israel relationship and invited him to return.

According to Netanyahu’s office, they both stressed their commitment to continue “close cooperation in promoting the common interests and values that unite the United States and Israel—first and foremost, the return of the fallen hostages, as well as the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”

PM personally approved entry of Egyptian team into Gaza to search for hostages’ bodies, his office says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of the Egyptian team that entered the Gaza Strip with several engineering vehicles to assist with locating the bodies, the Prime Minister’s Office tells The Times of Israel.

“It is a technical team,” says the PMO. “They are going in only to locate the slain hostages.”

Information from both Israel and Hamas on the location of slain hostages has been given to the Egyptians to guide their search, Channel 12 reports.

Report: Israel knows Hamas could hand over more bodies than it has, expects it to return two tomorrow

Israel knows for certain that Hamas can hand over more bodies of slain hostages but is deciding not to, and is also holding back information about their location, Channel 12 reports.

Security officials told the families of slain hostages the general area where the bodies of their loved ones are being held.

Israeli sources tell the channel that they expect Hamas to return two more bodies tomorrow after pressure from the mediators, who have reportedly informed the terror group that US President Donald Trump is close to declaring that Hamas is responsible for the collapse of the ceasefire.

According to the outlet, Israel considered holding up the entry of fuel and food into Gaza to pressure Hamas, but the senior Trump administration officials in Israel over the past week shot down the idea, arguing it could endanger the ceasefire.

The Prime Minister’s Office denies the report on the sanctions on Hamas to The Times of Israel.

Parents of ex-hostage soldier call for state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7, Israel’s conduct in truce talks

Anat and Hagai Angrest, the parents of freed hostage soldier Matan Angrest, speak at a rally at Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, where protesters are calling for the release of the final 13 deceased hostages, on October 25, 2025. (Marcelo Sznaidman/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Anat and Hagai Angrest, whose soldier son Matan was released from Hamas captivity on October 13 as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into failures surrounding the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s conduct in subsequent truce talks.

Thanking thousands of people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Matan’s mother Anat says she “takes a breath of relief as a mother along with the mothers of combat soldiers, who now know that when they send their children to fight for the country, the country will fight for them too in difficult times — if necessary, even against messianic decision-makers who agreed to give up and sacrifice the brave fighters.”

“As a combat soldier, Matan was forced to suffer horrific interrogations in the tunnel dungeons, while seriously wounded and bleeding between life and death for months on end,” says Anat.

Matan “breathed the last breath” of his three fellow tank crew-members, all of whom were killed on October 7, and his “eyes are awash with tears” when he recalls that the remains of one, Itay Chen, are still in Gaza, she says.

“So we don’t stop — we go on until everyone comes back,” says Anat, adding that a timely ceasefire deal could have “saved the lives of 44 hostages” who were killed in captivity.

“We join the call to investigate the events of October 7 and form a state commission of inquiry to understand why so many citizens were murdered, maimed and abducted,” she says. “We ask to add an additional clause to investigate the conduct of the negotiations and the decisions to prolong the longest war in the country’s history.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a state commission of inquiry, saying such a commission would be biased against him since it is led by the judiciary, which his government has sought to weaken.

On Wednesday, the Knesset State Control Commission, where his coalition members hold the majority, nixed the opposition’s latest bid to form a state commission of inquiry.

Five-star Cairo hotel says deported terrorists freed by Israel are no longer staying there

Exterior of the Renaissance Cairo Mirage Hotel (Courtesy)

The five-star Renaissance Cairo Mirage hotel in Egypt confirms to Israel’s Channel 12 that more than 150 Palestinian terrorists were staying at the hotel after they were released from Israeli prisons and deported under the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, but says that they are no longer there.

Earlier today, the UK’s Daily Mail tabloid reported that more than 150 deported terrorists were staying at the hotel, owned by the multinational Marriott hotel chain.

Under the terms of the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, Israel freed some 2,000 security prisoners, including some 250 serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks. The worst of the offenders were deported.

Former prisoners seen at the hotel, according to the Mail, included Mahmoud Issa, who had been imprisoned since 1993 for his part in the abduction and murder of Border Police officer Nissim Toledano the previous year; Samir Abu Nima, who was sentenced to life in jail for a 1983 Jerusalem bus bombing that killed six people including, an 11-year-old child; and Muhammad Zawahra, who took part in a deadly 2024 shooting near near a Jerusalem-area checkpoint.

IDF confirms drone strike in central Gaza, says it targeted Islamic Jihad operative planning ‘imminent attack’

The IDF says it carried out a drone strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat a short while ago, targeting a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative who was planning an “imminent attack” against troops.

Palestinian media reported that one person was killed and others were injured in the strike that hit a car in the Nuseirat area.

Nuseirat is on the western side of the Yellow Line, meaning it is not under Israeli control according to the terms of the ceasefire.

Several said injured in car blast in central Gaza; cause of explosion unclear

Media outlets in Gaza report that several people have been injured in a car explosion in Nuseirat, in the Strip’s center.

The circumstances of the incident are unclear, with some reports suggesting it was an Israeli strike.

The IDF has not yet issued a response.

Katz: Top ‘strategic objective’ in Gaza now is destroying Hamas tunnels, of which 60% are intact

Defense Minister Israel Katz says the “most important strategic objective” now in Gaza is the demilitarization of the Strip by destroying Hamas’s tunnels, 60% of which are still intact.

“The demilitarization of Gaza by destroying Hamas’s terror tunnels, alongside disarming Hamas, is, in my view, the most important strategic objective for achieving victory in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement.

He says that “the most urgent moral mission is, of course, the return of all fallen hostages home, and we will do everything to carry out this sacred and important mission.”

“The overarching strategic mission to realize the great victory achieved by the heroic IDF soldiers against Hamas terrorists in Gaza is the demilitarization of Gaza through the complete destruction of the terror tunnels, 60% of which still exist, alongside the dismantling of Hamas’s weapons,” Katz says.

The military has argued that the main focus during the war has been on Hamas’s attack tunnels and those used as command centers or for weapons manufacturing — the vast majority of which have been destroyed — rather than on the numerous tunnels that Hamas uses to move around the Strip, especially in areas where ground troops never operated.

Katz says he instructed the IDF “to make the destruction of the tunnels the central task now” in the areas of the Strip under Israeli control.

“This is alongside the dialogue we are holding with US representatives, from the vice president and the secretaries of state and defense, through the US President’s envoys and up to CENTCOM commanders, about the importance and critical nature of the matter, and about their need to implement President Trump’s plan and find a way to undertake a thorough dismantling and destruction of all the terror tunnels in the remaining area under their responsibility, alongside the disarmament of Hamas,” Katz adds.

Two Israeli activists, 3 Palestinians injured in settler arson attack north of Jerusalem

An Israeli activist assisting Palestinians in the West Bank tells The Times of Israel that earlier today, dozens of settlers reached the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem, and the nearby Bedouin community of al-Ara’ara, where they set fire to homes and olive groves.

Footage from the incident shows dozens of settlers throwing stones and later standing near houses that had been set on fire.

In some of the footage, Palestinians are also seen gathering at the scene and throwing stones at the settlers.

According to the activist, two Israeli women who were present at the scene were injured by stones and evacuated to an Israeli hospital, one of whom confirmed the incident to The Times of Israel.

Three Palestinians were also injured, apparently from stone-throwing, and made their way independently to receive medical treatment, another Israeli activist tells The Times of Israel.

An illegal outpost was established in the area about five days ago.

The IDF has not yet issued a response.

הצתת הבתים בהתיישבות הבדואית ליד מחמאס צפונית לירושלים הערב היא סופו של האירוע. תחילתו: עשרות מתנחלים שהגיעו ויידוי אבנים. שתי פעילות ישראליות נפצעו והגיעו לבי"ח ישראלי. בתיעוד נוסף נראית התקהלות פלסטינית ופלסטינים מיידים אבנים גם כן, גם כמה פלסטינים נפצעו מיידוי אבנים. המתנחלים… pic.twitter.com/I6NAOB1W2c

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 25, 2025

Freed hostage Eitan Horn visits Hostages Square in Tel Aviv with his brothers

L-R: The brothers Amos, Eitan, and Iair Horn visit Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, days after Eitan was released from Hamas captivity, on October 25, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Recently released hostage Eitan Horn visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv this evening, ahead of the weekly rally for the return of the remaining deceased hostages.

He visited along with his brothers, Iair and Amos Horn.

Iair was also held in captivity in Gaza, but was released in February 2025, eight months before Eitan was freed.

Eitan was released on October 11, along with the other 19 living hostages, as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The bodies of 13 deceased hostages have yet to be returned.

Egyptian team operating in Gaza to locate remaining bodies of hostages — defense official

Members of the Hamas terrorist group search underground for the bodies of Israeli hostages amid destroyed buildings in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

As part of the efforts to recover the remaining 13 dead hostages held in Gaza, an Egyptian team has entered the Strip with several engineering vehicles to assist with locating the bodies, an Israeli defense official says.

The move was approved by Israel’s political echelon, the official adds.

Until now, Israel had not approved the entry of such teams, claiming that Hamas was capable of finding and returning the bodies itself.

Settlers set fire to homes in Bedouin community north of Jerusalem — report

Settlers attacked a Bedouin community in the West Bank, north of Jerusalem, earlier today and set fire to a number of homes, Palestinian media reports.

According to reports, the settlers set fire to several homes in the al-Ara’ara Bedouin community, near the village of Mukhmas.

Footage shows thick smoke and flames pouring out of the area.

The Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency reports that they also set fire to the community’s olive groves.

There are no reports of casualties.

דיווחים בסוכנות הידיעות של הרשות הפלסטינית "וואפא": מתנחלים הציתו אוהלים של תושבי הפזורה הבדואית מצפון מזרח לירושלים@guy_telaviv pic.twitter.com/o4O821DnO6

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 25, 2025

IDF says drone strike killed elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, saying it killed a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.

The operative, Zayn al-Abidin Hussein Fatouni, was a commander in Radwan’s anti-tank missile unit, and was involved in restoring Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.

Fatouni was targeted while driving in the village of Jibchit, close to the town of Harouf in the Nabatieh area.

Recently, Fatouni was “involved in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” the IDF says, adding that his activities “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

צה"ל חיסל מפקד במערך הנ"ט של גדוד ב'כוח רדואן' של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, שעסק בניסיונות שיקום של תשתיות טרור בדרום לבנון

צה"ל תקף וחיסל מוקדם יותר היום, בהובלת פיקוד הצפון ובאמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר, במרחב ג'בשית שבדרום לבנון את המחבל זין אלעאבדין חסין פתוני, מפקד במערך הנ"ט… pic.twitter.com/7OzeKTBdci

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 25, 2025

Rubio leaves Israel after two-day trip, will join Trump for meeting in Qatar

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media at the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel, October 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio departs Israel after a two-day trip as part of a carousel of Trump officials stopping in Israel to ensure that the ceasefire in Gaza holds.

According to Reuters, Rubio will fly to Qatar to take part in a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s emir and prime minister.

Israel readying for Hamas to possibly return two slain hostages tonight

Israel is again preparing for the possibility that Hamas may return the bodies of two deceased hostages tonight, The Times of Israel has learned.

Hamas has yet to announce that it intends to return any bodies of hostages to Israel today.

Yesterday, after some initial speculation, Hamas did not return any bodies to Israel.

Currently, the bodies of 13 dead hostages remain held in Gaza.

Erdogan insists Turkey to have role in solving conflicts, ‘from Syria to Gaza, from the Gulf to Russia’

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Presidency Press Office on October 21, 2025, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcoming ceremony in Kuwait City (Handout / Turkish Presidency Press Office / AFP)

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists that Ankara plays a role in solving all major conflicts around the world, noting conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, Russia, and Gaza.

“We’re going through a painful period. The wars threaten our environment,” Erdogan tells the Hurriyet news site. “From Syria to Gaza, from the Gulf to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, there is no equation without Turkey.”

“Now there is a Turkey in the region and in the world that is reputed for its promise and exports peace and stability,” he says.

“Turkey is now transforming into a global power with the decisive steps it has taken. Today, when it comes to peace, harmony, and stability, Turkey comes to mind first. When it comes to compassion and compassion, justice, this saintly nation first comes to life in the minds,” he says.

The comments come amid reports that Israel told the United States that the presence of Turkish troops as part of a postwar stabilization force in Gaza would be a red line for Jerusalem.

Early voting opens for New York City mayor and New Jersey governor races

From left, independent candidate former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, October 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)

NEW YORK — Polling places open for the start of in-person voting for two of the year’s most closely watched elections: The New York City mayor’s race and the contest to pick New Jersey’s next governor.

New Yorkers are choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot but dropped out of the race last month and recently threw his support behind Cuomo.

Jewish leaders have issued a series of warnings about Mamdani this week, saying that his vilification of Israel could spur violence and hatred against Jews.

Jews in New York City are targeted in hate crimes far more than other groups.

The New Jersey governor’s race features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli against Democratic US Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

New York has allowed early voting since 2019, and it has become relatively popular. In June’s mayoral primary, about 35 percent of the ballots were cast early and in person, according to the city’s campaign finance board.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF says it opened probe after video showed soldiers, civilian hitting Palestinian in West Bank

The IDF says it is investigating after footage showed soldiers and an Israeli civilian hitting a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Friday.

According to the military, troops had been dispatched to the settlement of Beitar Illit after it received reports of several Palestinian suspects approaching the community’s fence.

“Upon the arrival of the troops, a violent confrontation developed with one of the suspects, who refused to identify himself to the forces,” the army says, adding that the suspect was detained and handed over to the police for further questioning.

Palestinian media reports that the man, Ahmad Shakarneh, 65, had arrived in the area, on the outskirts of the village of Nahalin, to pick olives.

The army says “the incident is being investigated,” without elaborating further on the video, which showed an Israeli civilian hitting Shakarneh, before soldiers intervene and also beat the man.

#فيديو| مشاهد قاسية توثق لحظة اعتداء مستوطن وجنود الاحتلال على ضرب مزارع أمام زوجته، أثناء قطف ثمار الزيتون، في بلدة نحالين غرب بيت لحم pic.twitter.com/DQGLreUhPe

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) October 25, 2025

Iran declares one of its largest private banks bankrupt

An Iranian woman walks past a branch of the state-owned Melli Bank, which absorbed the assets of the now-defunct Ayandeh Bank, with signage on its facade reading in Farsi "This former Ayandeh Bank branch is now part of Melli Bank," in the capital Tehran on October 25, 2025. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran declared one of the country’s largest private banks bankrupt, with its assets absorbed by the state, official media reports, in a rare move in the country grappling with international sanctions.

Founded in 2012, Ayandeh Bank had a network of 270 branches across the country, including 150 in the capital Tehran alone. But it had more recently been crippled by debt, with accumulated losses amounting to the equivalent of about $5.2 billion and roughly $2.9 billion in debts, according to the ISNA news agency.

Today, queues of customers could be seen outside a former Ayandeh Bank branch in Tehran, with police also present, an AFP journalist reports.

The state-owned Melli Bank has absorbed the assets of the now-defunct Ayandeh Bank, following a decision by the Central Bank, which has given assurances that depositors will be able to recover their savings.

“The transfer from Ayandeh Bank to Melli Bank is now complete,” says Melli Bank director Abolfazl Najarzadeh on state television.

On Thursday, Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Ayandeh Bank customers had “nothing to worry about.”

An official at the Central Bank of Iran, Hamidreza Ghaniabadi, said “bad debts” had prompted the bankruptcy.

He told Iran’s IRNA news agency that “more than 90 percent of Ayandeh Bank’s funds were allocated either to parties related to the bank or to projects managed by the bank itself,” which were never repaid.

Ayandeh Bank had been behind lavish projects such as the immense Iran Mall shopping complex in Tehran, which includes an ice rink and cinemas.

In addition to Ayandeh, five other banks — Sarmayeh, Day, Sepah, Iran Zamin, and Melal — are also facing difficulty, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The United Nations reimposed tough sanctions on Iran in September after months of tense diplomacy aimed at reviving nuclear talks derailed since June, when Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

The sanctions are a “snapback” of measures frozen in 2015 when Iran agreed to major restrictions on its nuclear program under a deal that US President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018 during his first term.

Rubio meets families of slain hostages, US citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, vows all 13 deceased hostages will be returned

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with the families of slain hostages Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, during his visit to Israel, October 25, 2025. (US Secretary of State Marco Rubio/X)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with the families of US-Israeli citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, slain hostages whose bodies are held by Hamas in Gaza.

“We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas. Today I met with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. We will not rest until their — and all — remains are returned,” he vows.

Trump to meet Qatar’s emir during refuel stop en route to Malaysia

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gestures next to US President Donald Trump at Al Udeid Air Base, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar’s Emir and prime minister on Air Force One during a refuel stop in Qatar en route to Malaysia for a regional summit, a White House official says.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would join Trump in Qatar, the official says.

Far-left lawmaker who said Hamas ‘part of the fabric of the Palestinian people’ set to become Irish president

Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly speaking to the media during a visit to the offices of Alone in Dublin, October 8, 2025. (PA Images via Reuters Connect)

DUBLIN, Ireland — Catherine Connolly, a veteran lawmaker on the far left of the Irish political spectrum, is set to be elected the country’s next president as members of the governing parties conceded defeat.

Early tallies of votes after counting began at 0800 GMT show a wide lead for Connolly, 68, an independent candidate. She is a long-time critic of the European Union in overwhelmingly pro-EU Ireland and was far from a household name at the outset.

She has drawn criticism for her views on Hamas, which she said in September was “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.”

She later maintained that she “utterly condemned” Hamas’ actions, while also criticizing Israel for carrying out what she said was a “genocide” in Gaza. Israel adamantly rejects the genocide accusation.

“It does appear likely that Catherine Connolly will be elected, and we now move on to the job of working with her as a government,” Higher Education Minister James Lawless, a member of the Fianna Fail party, tells national broadcaster RTE.

Ireland’s president is largely a figurehead, with seldom-used powers to test the constitutionality of legislation.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Lebanese media says Israeli drone strike hits car in southern town

Lebanese media reports an Israeli drone strike against a car in the southern town of Harouf.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

مسيرة اسرائيلية معادية تشن غارة على سيارة في محيط المدرسة الرسمية لبلدة حاروف pic.twitter.com/6kwaSQwvyD

— nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) October 25, 2025

Houthis set to announce deaths of leaders killed in Israeli and US strikes, lifting information blackout during war — report

Supporters of Yemen's Houthis attend a rally condemning Israel in Sanaa on October 17, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

Yemen’s Houthis rebels are set to announce the deaths of several leaders killed in Israeli and American attacks during the war in Gaza, after holding off on the declarations amid the conflict, the Yemeni Defense Line news site reports, citing unnamed sources from the terror group.

According to the report, the Houthis wanted to maintain an information blackout on the matter and postpone their funerals until the fighting ended.

Some 154 terrorists released under Gaza deal staying at five-star hotel in Cairo — report

Around 154 terrorists released by Israel under the Gaza ceasefire deal are staying at the Marriott’s five-star Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel, the Daily Mail reports.

The Daily Mail says that undercover journalists stayed at the hotel among the terrorists. The news outlet publishes images of what they say are the terrorists staying at the hotel among unsuspecting Western tourists.

According to the report, some may soon be moved to third countries, such as Qatar, Turkey, and Tunisia.

The Marriott hotel group did not respond to the Daily Mail’s requests for comment.

????Hamas terrorists released under the Gaza peace deal are staying in a five-star hotel alongside unsuspecting Western tourists.

Experts warned of a radical new threat to global security after the Daily Mail tracked down more than 150 of the highly dangerous extremists to a… pic.twitter.com/rMwNwsiR21

— Grifty (@TheGriftReport) October 25, 2025

US said blocking Israel from imposing sanctions as Hamas delays return of hostages

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles allegedly transporting coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages leave a warehouse for Israel, in Gaza City, Tuesday, October 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

The United States is preventing Israel from imposing sanctions on Hamas or Gaza as the terror group delays returning bodies of slain hostages, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The report, citing sources involved, says that Israel is becoming increasingly frustrated as Hamas has not returned any bodies since Tuesday, despite Israel believing they have the ability to do so.

Initial reports that Hamas would return further bodies yesterday proved false; however, the sources said there was hope this could happen today.

The sources said the constant stream of senior US officials visiting Israel was a sign to Jerusalem not to take any steps that could be seen as jeopardizing the ceasefire.

The sources also said that the US was pressuring mediators Egypt and Qatar to ensure that Hamas fulfilled its obligation to return all the hostages.

Late Tuesday, Hama  handed over two caskets to Israel via the Red Cross night with the remains of Kibbutz Nir Oz residents Arie “Zalman” Zalmanowicz, 85, and Tamir Adar, 38.

The repatriation of the remains of Zalmanowicz and Adar brought the number of bodies of deceased captives still held in the Strip down from 15 to 13. At the start of the ceasefire on October 10, the bodies of 28 deceased hostages were held inside the Gaza Strip.

Hamas had committed to returning them within 72-hours of a partial Israeli withdrawal, but later said it had trouble locating some of the bodies and needed heavy equipment to reach them.

Trump says North Korea is ‘sort of a nuclear power’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and US President Donald Trump prepare to shake hands at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, June 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

US President Donald Trump says that North Korea was “sort of a nuclear power” as he left the United States for Asia on a trip that could include a meeting with Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un.

Asked aboard Air Force One whether he was open to North Korea’s demand to be recognised as a nuclear state as a precondition for dialogue with Washington, Trump replies: “Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power.”

“When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that,” he says.

Trump is expected in South Korea on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

US media have previously reported officials from his administration have privately discussed setting up a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim, who he last held talks with in 2019.

Settlers said to attack West Bank village overnight, setting three cars ablaze

Palestinians report that a group of settler extremists attacked the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir overnight, setting fire to at least three vehicles.

Local leader Amin Abu Ali tells the Ynet news site that the settlers initially threw stones at Palestinian vehicles, before entering the village north of Ramallah and burning vehicles and clashing with local residents.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Al-Mughayyir was also the scene of an attack earlier this week on olive harvesters in the village.

In recent years, the olive harvest season, which is critical for the domestic economy of Palestinians living in rural towns and villages in the West Bank, has witnessed dozens of attacks by settler extremists against the olive growers and their laborers, in an apparent effort to make the industry non-viable.

The aftermath of an Israeli settler militia attack on the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, at dawn today, where several vehicles were set on fire. pic.twitter.com/gEh0vwER4M

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 25, 2025

Trump departs for Asia trip, aims to clinch trade deal with China’s Xi

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, as he departs for a trip to Asia on October 24, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

US President Donald Trump will test his deal-making capabilities on a trip to Asia, a region battered by his hardball trade policies, while doubts hang over his highly anticipated meeting with China’s Xi Jinping.

Trump, who left Washington, is set for a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first to the region and longest journey abroad since taking office in January.

The Republican leader hopes to pile up trade, critical mineral and ceasefire deals before turning to the toughest challenge, a face-to-face with Xi on Thursday in South Korea.

US surveillance drones flying over Gaza to monitor Israel-Hamas ceasefire — NYT

This aerial picture shows destroyed buildings in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood on October 23, 2025. (AFP)

The US military is flying drones over the Gaza Strip to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to the New York Times, which says the surveillance flights suggest that the administration wants to know whats happening in the enclave independent of Israel.

Citing Israeli and American military officials, the report says the surveillance drones are assisting the mission of the newly established US-Israel Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, and that the aircraft are monitoring developments on the ground in Gaza with Israel’s consent.

IDF says it killed operative involved in restoring Hezbollah’s military capabilities in south Lebanon strike

A Hezbollah operative involved in restoring the terror group’s military capabilities in southern Lebanon was killed in an Israeli drone strike earlier today, the IDF says.

The operative was targeted in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, close to Nabatieh.

The IDF says his activities “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

Poll: Majority of Israelis think Netanyahu should not run in next election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears on Channel 14's 'The Patriots,' in Modi'in on October 18, 2025. (Aloni Mor/Flash90)

A majority of Israelis think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not run in the next election, according to a poll aired this evening by Channel 12.

Fifty-two percent of Israelis think he should not run, compared to 41% who think that he should and 7% who are not sure.

Asked who should head Netanyahu’s Likud party if not Netanyahu, 48% said they weren’t sure or none of the provided options. The candidate that received the most support was former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, with just 10%, followed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (9%), Defense Minister Israel Katz (8%), Justice Minister Yariv Levin (7%), Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (6%), Economy Minister Nir Barkat (5%), Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (3%), Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (2%), Energy Minister Eli Cohen (1%) and Transportation Minister Miri Regev (1%).

Asked who should lead the bloc of parties opposing Netanyahu in the next election, 44% of respondents said former prime minister Naftali Bennett, 16% said Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, 11% said Democrats chief Yair Golan, 11% said Yashar! chief Gadi Eisenkot, 10% said Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman and just 2% said National Unity chairman Benny Gantz.