A Knesset committee advanced a bill enabling capital punishment for Palestinians convicted of nationally motivated killings, with reports that the first parliamentary reading passed and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled support. Netanyahu’s office said Israel will not permit safe passage for roughly 200 Hamas fighters trapped behind the Gaza “yellow line,” after media reports of a potential Red Cross–facilitated transfer drew sharp objections from far-right ministers. Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. mediators have proposed allowing the trapped fighters to move under Red Cross supervision if they leave heavy weapons, though Israel has not approved the plan. Hamas said it located the body of an Israeli soldier in Gaza’s Shejaia and would hand it over to the Red Cross in the evening, as Israel and Hamas continue body-for-body exchanges with eight Israeli hostage remains still reported in Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported receiving 45 Palestinian bodies in the latest handover, bringing the total to about 270 since the truce began, and alleged signs of torture and mutilation as damaged forensic capacity slows identifications.
