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

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

ByKevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, and David Brennan
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.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 21, 2025, 3:51 PM EDT

'Overwhelming’ demand for food aid in Gaza as fragile ceasefire holds, WFP says

There is "overwhelming" demand for food aid in Gaza and greater aid access is needed to prevent the spread of famine, the World Food Programme said in a statment Tuesday.

“Daily deliveries continue and they are now averaging around 750 tonnes,” Abeer Etefa, senior regional communications officer for the World Food Programme, said in a statement. “That's much better than what we had before the ceasefire, but it's still well below our target, which is around 2,000 tonnes every day.”

Palestinian children gather to receive food portions from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, October 21, 2025.
Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

The WFP called for more border crossings to open to allow in life-saving food.

"People are showing up in large numbers, grateful for the efficiency of the delivery of food assistance” as well as the “dignified way” in which they are able to stand in line and quickly obtain their food rations," Etefa said.

Oct 21, 2025, 3:50 PM EDT

2 coffins returned to IDF custody in Gaza

Two coffins carrying hostage remains have been turned over to Israel Defense Forces custody in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a release.

Once they’re back in Israel, they will be taken for identification at the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine, according to the prime minister's office.

Hamas turned over the coffins to the Red Cross at a meeting point in Gaza. The Red Cross then transferred the coffins to the IDF.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 21, 2025, 11:45 AM EDT

No US troops will go into Gaza, Vance says

No American troops will be sent into Gaza, Vice President JD Vance reiterated on Tuesday. There are currently 200 American soldiers on the ground in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

Vance spoke at what will be the new hub for the delivery of everything going into Gaza from Israel.

“We’ve made incredible strides in the last week,” he said.

The vice president cautioned that further such strides will be needed as negotiators continue to work out the details of the agreement.

Oct 21, 2025, 11:36 AM EDT

No reconstruction funds will go into areas Hamas still controls, Kushner says

No reconstruction funds for Gaza will go into areas that Hamas still controls and considerations will be made in areas that the Israel Defense Forces control, Jared Kushner said during a press conference in Israel on Tuesday.

Kushner told reporters that there have been "very good meetings with the Israelis," saying both sides are moving to a peaceful posture and ending the fighting.

"There's been surprisingly strong coordination between the United Nations and Israel," Kushner said. "I do believe a great outcome is possible."

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