Netanyahu reiterates opposition to Palestinian state

The Israeli prime minister made the comments in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Last Updated: December 7, 2025, 11:12 AM EST

The ceasefire in Gaza is broadly holding, with Israeli forces inside the strip having pulled back to the so-called "yellow line."

Nonetheless, sporadic clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Gaza militants -- plus deadly IDF airstrikes -- continue.

The remains of one deceased hostage are still thought to be in Gaza. Israeli authorities have been releasing Palestinian prisoners and the bodies of deceased Palestinians detainees in exchange for the return of hostage remains.

Dec 03, 2025, 6:46 AM EST

Rafah crossing to open as exit from Gaza in 'coming days,' COGAT says

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip "will open in the coming days exclusively for the exit of residents" from Gaza, the Israeli Ministry of Defense's unit in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, called COGAT, said on Wednesday.

In this file photo, people stand in front of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing during the first hours of a four-day truce in the battles between Israel and Hamas militants, on Nov. 24, 2023.
Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

"The residents' exit through the Rafah Crossing will be facilitated through coordination with Egypt, following security approval by Israel and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism that operated in January 2025," COGAT said in a statement on social media.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Dec 03, 2025, 3:15 AM EST

Transferred remains don't belong to remaining hostages, Israel says

The most recent remains transferred to Israel from the Gaza Strip match neither of the two hostages thought to be held by Hamas, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday.

The remains returned on Tuesday "are not linked to any of the deceased abductees," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, citing findings from the National Center for Forensic Medicine.

A vehicle carrying the remains of a person whom Hamas claims is a deceased hostage, transferred earlier today by Gaza militants to Israeli authorities, arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Further information about the remains was not immediately released.

Netanyahu’s office said the families of the two remaining hostages in Hamas hands, both of whom are presumed dead, were notified of the findings.

PHOTO: A Palestinian Hamas militant looks on as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross use a digger as they search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages in northern Gaza on Dec. 1, 2025.
A Palestinian Hamas militant looks on as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), unseen, use a digger as they search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.
Omar Al-qattaa/AFP via Getty Images

"The effort to return them will not stop until the mission is completed -- to bring them to a proper burial in their country," Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor and Jordana Miller

Dec 01, 2025, 5:44 PM EST

2 people killed in Gaza, IDF says

Two people were shot and killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Monday in two separate incidents, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF said the individuals crossed into the Israeli-controlled part of northern Gaza "posing an immediate threat" to troops.

"IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat," the IDF said in a statement.

Dec 01, 2025, 7:15 AM EST

Search continues for dead and missing in Gaza, Red Cross says

The International Red Cross is working in Gaza to help identify remains of those killed during the war, the group said on Monday.

"In Gaza, thousands do not know the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones," the group said on social media, sharing photos of what appeared to be mass graves.

Hamas militants arrive at a site where they are searching for the remains of hostages in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP

The remains of two hostages are also thought to still be in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. The dead and missing "must be handled respectfully and their dignity protected" under international humanitarian law, the group said.

Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrive at the site where Hamas militants are searching for the remains of hostages in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP

"The ICRC supports forensics and health authorities to manage, document and trace the deceased so families can find closure," the Red Cross said.

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