The bodies of 13 deceased hostages are believed to still be in Gaza.
U.S. officials -- including Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- traveled to Israel this week for high-level meetings, discussing the next steps in the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
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.
Israeli forces carried out a strike in southern Lebanon Friday. The IDF said it killed a “terrorist who took part in Hezbollah’s attempts to reestablish its military capabilities in the Kherbet Selem area.”
This is the second day in a row Israel has struck southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces struck “terrorists” who were “exiting a tunnel shaft” and “approaching IDF troops” in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza on Friday, the IDF said in a statement.
In another incident in the city of Rafah in Gaza, the IDF said “several terrorists were identified exiting a tunnel shaft” and “opened fire toward IDF troops.”
“IDF troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove immediate threats,” the IDF said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Hamas issued a new statement on Friday calling on “everyone” to continue efforts in fully implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
“We call on everyone to continue their efforts with the Palestinian people,” Hamas said, “including the mediators to continue their role in following up the implementation of the remaining terms of the agreement, especially those related to entering aid in required quantities, providing all necessary supplies for the people in Gaza, opening the Rafah crossing in both directions for individuals, and working to urgently begin the reconstruction, particularly civilian homes and infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and public service buildings.”
Ela Haimi, whose husband, Tal Haimi, is among the 19 deceased hostages who remains in Gaza, said she “can’t give closure to my kids” without his body.
Ela Haimi said her children question if their father -- who died trying to defend his kibbutz during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack -- is really dead, because his body is still in Gaza.
“I can’t believe it’s not over yet,” she told ABC News Live on Friday. “He’s not here yet and I can’t understand why.”
She said she was so happy to see the 20 surviving hostages return on Monday, but she added, “After all this happiness, we also wait for Tal and the others to come back. We believe in life, we believe in peace, but also we believe in closure. This is why it’s so important to bring him back”
“This is the first point in the [ceasefire] deal," she said, "and if the first point is not complete, we cannot move on to the next one.”
