Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies
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.
Key Headlines
- Egyptian resources deployed in Gaza to help locate, recover Israeli hostage remains
- Netanyahu says Israel, not US, will decide security policy
- Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies 'quickly’
- Rubio says West Bank annexation would 'threaten this whole process'
- Aid allowed into Gaza is still falling short of what is needed, WHO head says
Hamas calls on parties to continue efforts to fully implement ceasefire
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.”
Wife of deceased hostage in Gaza: 'I can't give closure to my kids'
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.”
IDF troops open fire after vehicle crosses yellow line in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces “opened fire” at a vehicle that it says crossed the yellow line in northern Gaza.
IDF troops have withdrawn to an agreed-upon yellow line inside Gaza as a part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. The IDF still controls more than 50% of Gaza after withdrawing to the yellow line.
“The troops fired warning shots toward the suspicious vehicle, but the vehicle continued to approach the troops in a way that caused an imminent threat to them,” the IDF said in the statement. "The troops opened fire to remove the threat, in accordance with the agreement."
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Photos: Crews search for bodies of Israeli hostages
New photos show Hamas members on Friday searching for the bodies of remaining Israeli hostages in Khan Younis in Gaza.
The bodies of 19 deceased hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas has handed over the bodies of nine deceased hostages this week and released all 20 living hostages. Releasing all hostages, including the deceased, is part of the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas.