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.
Hamas 'rejects' US statement on potential ceasefire violations
Hamas officials said the militant group "rejects the allegations" made by the U.S. State Department, which warned Saturday of "credible reports" that Hamas may be violating the terms of its ceasefire with Israel.
A drone view shows people walking through a destroyed residential neighbourhood, following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, Oct. 18, 2025.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
Hamas in a statement called the allegations false and "Israeli propaganda."
It accused Israel of supporting criminal gangs that have wreaked havoc on Palestinian civilians, "spreading chaos and disrupting security."
-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Rashid Haddou
Oct 19, 2025, 2:46 AM EDT
Israel 'will not compromise' on return of all hostages, Netanyahu’s office says
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israeli officials would not compromise on the transferring of remains of hostages taken by Hamas, saying it's seeking the return of "every last one of them."
"The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement," Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
People attend a rally demanding the returning of the bodies of hostages kidnapped by Hamas who are still in Gaza Strip, at a plaza known as hostages square, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Francisco Seco/AP
Israel "will not compromise" on their return, the office said, adding that it would "spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them."
Israeli officials on Sunday morning separately said they had identified one set of remains returned overnight. Another set of remains were in the process of being identified.
Prior to those two bodies being transferred, Hamas had handed over 10 sets of remains out of the 28 that had been in Hamas’ possession when the ceasefire came into effect, according to Israel. Another set of remains handed over did not match any of the missing hostages, Israel said.
Members of the Hamas militant group searching for bodies of the hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Hamas in a statement on Saturday said the recovery and handover of remains may be delayed if Israel does not reopen the Rafah crossing at the border between Gaza and Egypt.
"Specialized" equipment to locate remains, along with personnel who could examine and identify them, were being blocked from entry into Gaza, Hamas said.
Oct 19, 2025, 2:03 AM EDT
Returned remains identified as man killed while defending family, IDF says
The body of Ronen Engel was among the two sets of remains handed over by Hamas and escorted out of Gaza by Israeli military and security officials overnight, the Israel Defense Forces said early on Sunday.
Engel, who was 54 when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, had been a volunteer medic with Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency services, the IDF said. He had been living in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel.
"Ronen Tommy Engel was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023, when he went out to defend his family from terrorists, and his body was taken into Gaza," the IDF said on social media.
Ronen Engel, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo.
Bring Them Home Now via Reuters
Engel’s wife, Karina, and two daughters, Mika and Yuval, were also taken hostage by Hamas, according to the IDF. They were released in November 2023 as part of a hostage-release agreement, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said on social media on Sunday.
Engel was pronounced dead on Jan. 12, 2023, the military said.
"The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Engel family and all the families of the fallen hostages," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Sunday.
Two coffins had been transferred overnight from Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, according to Israel. The IDF and Shin Bet, the internal security service, then escorted the remains across the border into Israel, officials said.
The second set of remains returned overnight were still being identified by Israel's National Institute for Forensic Medicine, Avichay Adraee, another IDF spokesperson, said on Sunday.
Oct 18, 2025, 6:49 PM EDT
State Department warns of 'imminent ceasefire violation' by Hamas against Palestinian civilians
The State Department said in a statement published Saturday that the United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of "credible reports indicating a ceasefire violation" by Hamas against Gazans.
The agency warns that should Hamas proceed with the attack, measures will be taken.
"The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole," the State Department said.
