Overview
- Israeli authorities confirmed on Sunday that Hamas returned the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, with forensic tests verifying his identity more than 11 years after his death in Gaza.
- Israeli leaders publicly deny any deal to let roughly 150 Hamas fighters leave tunnels in the Rafah area, insisting the tunnels will be destroyed and fighters must surrender or face lethal force.
- Hamas’ military wing says its fighters will not surrender and calls on mediators to secure a solution that keeps the ceasefire in place and prevents what it calls pretexts for violating it.
- Under the ceasefire that began October 10, Hamas has released 20 hostages alive and returned 23 bodies out of 28 agreed exchanges, leaving four deceased hostages still to be handed over.
- Aid deliveries remain far below targets at roughly 150 trucks per day, and a U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat is overseeing entry operations that The Washington Post reports are displacing Israel’s COGAT role, as rights lawyers separately allege harsh conditions for Gaza detainees at the Rakefet site.