Remains of American Israeli hostage among 3 bodies returned by Hamas, IDF says

Israeli forces said they resumed the Gaza ceasefire after strikes on Tuesday.

ByDavid Brennan, Megan Forrester, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: November 3, 2025, 1:40 AM EST

U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Hamas to act faster in returning the bodies of deceased hostages amid a delicate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by withholding the bodies of the remaining 13 deceased hostages thought to have died during or after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas has said the return of the remaining bodies "may take some time" due to the destruction wrought in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the country's military to "carry out powerful strikes in Gaza," a statement from his office said, in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday they had resumed the ceasefire.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 31, 2025, 12:45 PM EDT

30 bodies returned to Gaza, ICRC says

A further 30 bodies were transferred from Israeli authorities to authorities in Gaza via the International Committee of the Red Cross, the organization said in a statement on Friday.

Red Cross transports the body of a deceased hostage in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, October 30, 2025.
Ramadan Abed/Reuters

This return of bodies is part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Including this transfer, Israel has returned 225 bodies to Gaza since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said.

"Local health and forensic authorities are responsible for taking all possible measures to identify the remains of those deceased. Local health authorities in Gaza have confirmed the number of deceased received today is 30," the ICRC said.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Sami Zyara

Oct 30, 2025, 1:12 PM EDT

More than 200 killed since Gaza ceasefire went into effect: Doctors Without Borders

More than 200 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Oct. 10, Doctors Without Borders said on Thursday, citing the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

At least 104 people were killed after Israel resumed strikes on Gaza in a brief break in the ceasefire earlier this week, according to the Ministry of Health. At least 253 people were injured, the ministry said.

Palestinian women mourn their relatives killed in an Israeli army strike, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Oct. 29, 2025.
Yousef Al Zanoun/AP

"We need a sustained ceasefire to stop the overwhelming level of death and catastrophic injuries suffered by civilians," Doctors Without Borders Senior Communications Officer Brienne Prusak said in a statement Thursday.

-ABC News' Nadine Shubailat

Oct 30, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT

2 coffins now in Israeli custody

Israeli forces are now in possession of two coffins transferred to them from the Red Cross, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a release Thursday.

The coffins will be taken to Israel and will be examined by the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine for identification, it noted.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 30, 2025, 11:22 AM EDT

2 coffins transferred to Red Cross in Gaza, on their way to IDF

Two coffins have been transferred to the Red Cross inside Gaza and are on their way to be transferred to Israel Defense Forces’ custody, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency said in a joint statement on Thursday.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola