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33m ago

Israel Curbs Aid and Delays Rafah as Hostage‑Remains Dispute Tests Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. officials urge patience on body recoveries, signaling preparation of an international stabilization force.

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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday.
An armed Hamas militant stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle arrives in Gaza City on Oct. 14, 2025, to receive the bodies of deceased hostages who had been held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
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Overview

  • Hamas has returned 20 living hostages but only nine of the 28 deceased so far, with one body previously misidentified, intensifying Israeli pressure.
  • Israel cut the agreed aid flow roughly in half and postponed reopening the Rafah crossing, while the Palestinian Authority says it is ready to operate Rafah under an existing EU mechanism.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to secure all remaining bodies as Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to ready plans to resume fighting if obligations are not met.
  • President Donald Trump warned Hamas to halt internal killings and disarm or face force, while two senior U.S. advisers said devastation in Gaza complicates recovery efforts and they do not believe Hamas has violated the deal.
  • Planning for a stabilization mission is advancing with up to 200 U.S. support troops and interest from Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan, even as Hamas reasserts control and the monitors and technocratic governance envisioned in the plan remain unrealized.