An Israeli official reportedly says that Hamas doesn’t know the locations of five out of the 13 deceased hostages still held in Gaza.
The terror group is “playing games, and playing for time, in order to extend the ceasefire without reaching the second stage [of the agreement], which requires it to disarm,” the Hebrew outlet Ynet quotes the official, whom it does not identify, as saying.
The ceasefire requires Hamas to return all hostages, but went into effect earlier this month on the understanding that some of the bodies of the then-28 deceased captives would be difficult to find in the war-torn territory. Since then, facing Israeli pressure, Hamas has returned 15 deceased hostages.
There have been various estimates of the number of dead hostages Hamas may be able to access.
Yesterday, Israeli defense officials reportedly told US Vice President JD Vance that Hamas can return the bodies of at least 10 of the 13 remaining deceased hostages. Other estimates have said the terror group may be able to locate fewer bodies.
Efforts are underway in the Strip to find the bodies of the hostages.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 24, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
