Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies

The bodies of 13 deceased hostages are believed to still be in Gaza.

Last Updated: October 24, 2025, 10:52 AM EDT

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.

Oct 20, 2025, 6:38 AM EDT

Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Israel, sources say

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Senior Advisor to the U.S. President Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Jordana Miller

Oct 20, 2025, 6:29 AM EDT

IDF warns Hamas to immediately leave controlled area

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz asked the Israel Defense Forces to send a clear message to Hamas, urging their forces to immediately leave areas beyond the Yellow Line, adding that anyone who remain in the area will be targeted.

The IDF said it now believes the deadly attack in Rafah on Sunday was carried out by militants still in tunnels under Rafah, which is why Katz is calling for Hamas to evacuate the area controlled by IDF.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Jordana Miller

Oct 19, 2025, 3:45 PM EDT

2 Israeli soldiers killed 'in combat' in southern Gaza, according to the IDF

Two Israeli soldiers were killed "in combat" in southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Maj. Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sgt. Itay Yavetz, 21, were killed in fighting in southern Gaza, according to the IDF. A reserve Israeli soldier in the Combat Engineering Heavy Equipment Unit was severely injured in the fighting in southern Gaza, the IDF also said.

The injured soldier, whose name was not released, was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment and his family has been notified, according to the IDF.

Details were not released regarding how the Kula and Yavetz were killed, nor how the reserve soldier was injured.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 19, 2025, 2:49 PM EDT

Israel temporarily closed crossings into Gaza Sunday, said official

An Israeli official confirmed to ABC News that a decision had been made earlier Sunday to close crossings into Gaza, halting aid from entering, but that the decision has since been reversed.

A political source familiar with the matter told ABC News that aid deliveries from crossings into Gaza were also temporarily stopped Sunday due to the bombing and that the Rafah crossing will remain closed for now.

“Due to the intense bombings and dozens of deaths on the Hamas side, Israel stopped truck traffic today, which will resume when the bombings end," the official told ABC News. "Rafah Crossing will only open when we see Hamas continuing to return the dead hostages at a reasonable pace.”

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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