Overview
- Israeli authorities said remains returned via the Red Cross were identified as Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, who were taken captive in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
- Hospital officials in Gaza reported receiving 30 Palestinian bodies from Israel, as morgues struggle to identify the dead with limited DNA testing capacity.
- Despite the truce that began Oct. 10, Israeli forces carried out strikes in Gaza this week, and Gaza’s Civil Defense reported more than 100 deaths in one night.
- A planning committee approved 1,300 new homes in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the West Bank, a move Hamas condemned as a major escalation.
- Hamas has returned the remains of 17 Israeli hostages since the cease-fire took effect, and a U.S. official said messages relayed through Egypt and Qatar warned Hamas fighters to quit a designated zone or face Israeli action.