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Hamas Reaffirms Commitment to Ceasefire amid Delays in Returning Hostages’ Bodies 

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip during the sunrise, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip during the sunrise, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Hamas Reaffirms Commitment to Ceasefire amid Delays in Returning Hostages’ Bodies 

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip during the sunrise, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip during the sunrise, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP)

Hamas moved Friday to shore up its brittle ceasefire agreement with Israel by reaffirming its commitment to the terms of the deal that includes a pledge to hand over the remains of all dead Israeli hostages.

The group’s statement released in the early hours Friday follows a dire warning from US President Donald Trump that he would green-light Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn't live up to its end of the deal and return all of the hostages' bodies.

Hamas, however, maintains that some bodies were buried in tunnels that were later destroyed by Israel, and heavy machinery is required to dig through rubble to retrieve them.

The group also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his call to cut aid to Gaza, saying it was an attempt to manipulate humanitarian needs “for political gains.”

The ceasefire plan introduced by Trump had called for all hostages — living and dead — to be handed over by a deadline that expired Monday. But under the deal, if that didn’t happen, Hamas was to share information about deceased hostages and try to hand them over as soon as possible.

Netanyahu has said that Israel “will not compromise” and demanded that Hamas fulfill the requirements laid out in the ceasefire deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.

Obstacles to retrieving bodies

Hamas has assured the US through intermediaries that it's working to return dead hostages. American officials say retrieval of the bodies is hampered by the scope of the devastation in the territory, coupled with the presence of dangerous, unexploded ordnance.

The group has also told mediators that some bodies are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

On Wednesday, Israel received the remains of two more hostages shortly after its military said that one of eight bodies previously handed over wasn't that of a hostage. Israel awaits in total the return of the bodies of 28 hostages.

Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages on Monday. In exchange, Israel freed around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Israel has also returned to Gaza the bodies of 90 Palestinians for burial. Israel is expected to turn over more bodies, though officials have not said how many are in its custody or how many will be returned.

It is unclear whether the remains belong to Palestinians who died in Israeli custody or were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops. Throughout the war, Israel’s military has exhumed bodies as part of its search for the remains of hostages.

A Palestinian forensics team examining the remains said some of the bodies showed signs of mistreatment.

Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

France says international force for Gaza is in the pipeline

Meanwhile, France said it's working with its ″British and American partners″ to propose a UN resolution in the coming days that would provide a framework for the international force for Gaza.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told a news conference Thursday that Arab countries are “very insistent” on having a UN mandate for this force.

″This resolution would allow a framework for the deployment of this mission, in support ... of Palestinian security forces, who are in the process of evaluating what they will need and what they are capable of doing,” he said.

He wouldn’t say whether France could eventually take part or what its role would be. “First the mandate,” he said, followed by which countries will be involved, and then specifics about who is providing what, which could include equipment, training, and money.

Confavreux said aid, reconstruction and security efforts should be centralized within the UN system.

Killings in Gaza fray nerves

Hamas was also put on the defensive after Trump warned that “we will have no choice but to go in and kill them” if the group didn't cease killings of rival factions inside Gaza.

Trump said it won't be US forces that will mete out any punishment but “people very close, very nearby that will go in and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”

The president did not specify if he was speaking of Israel, but action by Israeli forces could risk violating terms of the ceasefire agreement.

A Hamas official Thursday defended the killings of alleged gang members that the group carried out in Gaza since Monday.

Speaking in Beirut, Hamas' political representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdul-Hadi said the individuals who were killed “caused death and corruption in Gaza and killed displaced persons and aid seekers.”

Hadi said the decision to sentence them to death had come from the “judiciary,” apparently referring to tribal customary judicial procedures. There are no functioning formal courts in the war-battered enclave.

“This was done by a Palestinian national and tribal consensus,” he said. “I mean, their clan agreed to this and not just Hamas.”

Wait for a large infusion of aid into Gaza goes on

The UN said the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains constrained because of continued closures of crossings and restrictions on aid groups to bring in relief.

According to the UN dashboard that monitors the movement of aid trucks into Gaza, only 339 trucks reached the territory and were offloaded for distribution since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said rapid and unimpeded access, sustained fuel entry, restored infrastructure, protection of aid workers, and adequate funding are needed for the UN’s 60-day aid delivery plan to work.

Currently, only 15 humanitarian organizations are authorized by Israel to deliver aid into Gaza.

Gaza’s truck drivers’ association, which organizes pickups of aid from the Gaza side of the border after Israeli inspection, said there has been no significant ramping up of supplies arriving into Gaza since the ceasefire. But it cited improved security that has prevented looting or gangs intercepting aid convoys.

“There is no breakthrough,” said Nahed Sheheiber, the head of Gaza's private truckers' union. “There is no improvement except in one thing, the security of trucks that enables them to reach the warehouses.”

Only 70 trucks entered Gaza on Thursday, Sheheiber said, adding that the wait time for truck inspections and coordination is still long.

Since the beginning of the ceasefire, at least nine humanitarian organizations have gradually resumed services in Gaza City and parts of northern Gaza for displaced families and returnees, according to the UN humanitarian affairs report released Thursday.

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Arab World

Lebanon Starts Technical Response Process to US Treasury Demands

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Treasury delegation at Baabda Palace, Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Treasury delegation at Baabda Palace, Beirut (AFP)
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Lebanon Starts Technical Response Process to US Treasury Demands

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Treasury delegation at Baabda Palace, Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Treasury delegation at Baabda Palace, Beirut (AFP)

Lebanon has swiftly initiated a legal and procedural compliance process in response to what officials described as “very serious” US demands to curb terrorism financing, after a visiting US Treasury delegation delivered the requests to political and monetary authorities earlier this week along with warnings of possible sanctions.

The measures, which come with defined deadlines, explicitly target the drying up of Hezbollah’s funding channels and those of its affiliated organizations.

On Friday, the Central Bank of Lebanon (Banque du Liban) took what it described as “the first step in a series of precautionary measures aimed at strengthening the compliance environment within the financial sector,” amid speculation over the direction of government and ministerial steps in the same area.

Observers note that these moves extend beyond technical considerations and touch on the politically sensitive issue of controlling weapons exclusively.

The central bank’s initiative includes “applying precautionary measures to all nonbank financial institutions licensed by Banque du Liban, including money transfer companies, exchange houses, and other entities handling cash transactions in foreign currencies to and from Lebanon.”

Closing Hezbollah’s Financial Loopholes

This initiative aligns with information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat from meetings held by the US Treasury delegation with Lebanon’s presidential, ministerial, parliamentary, and central bank authorities.

The meetings emphasized the need for strict measures to close loopholes used to channel funding to Hezbollah and its institutions, and to curb unregulated methods exploited by the group.

These include money transfer and exchange companies, illicit trade operations, many conducted in cash, gold, and some using cryptocurrencies, according to the delegation.

John Hurley, the Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI), spoke to journalists during a limited meeting at the US Embassy in Beirut.

Sources indicate that the next steps by the central bank will focus on promoting electronic payments in retail sectors, whether through cards, smartphones, or online internal and international transfers connected to secure banking networks.

These systems are subject to standard “know your customer” (KYC) requirements, helping control cash flow by regulating dollar liquidity, including part of the cash distributed monthly by the central bank for public sector salaries and banks’ contributions to depositor allocations, as per circulars.

Domestic Political Dimension

Financial sources familiar with the move said the measures were designed to avoid domestic political fallout and to prevent provoking the concerned political party. The steps are framed strictly as part of Lebanon’s effort to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list.”

The central bank noted that “inclusion on this list indicates gaps in combating illicit financial transactions, triggering tighter international scrutiny and lowering confidence among global financial institutions.”

In a clarification responding indirectly to the Treasury delegation’s request for tighter controls over cash moving outside traditional banking channels, the central bank said the protective measures aim to “prevent the transfer of illicit or illegally obtained funds through these institutions, by imposing stricter compliance requirements and enhanced due diligence on all legal and natural persons involved in cash transactions, including ultimate beneficiaries.”

Additional Precautionary Measures

The central bank indicated that further steps will impose additional precautionary measures on commercial banks, aiming to “establish multiple layers of controls and checkpoints to detect, contain, and prevent illicit funds from circulating through the banking system and the broader financial sector.”

Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar met with the US Treasury delegation in Beirut.

The Banking Control Commission will oversee the implementation of these measures and ensure all banks and nonbank financial institutions comply, taking corrective action as needed.

Under the central bank’s basic decision attached to Circular No. 3, nonbank financial institutions are now required to collect detailed client and transaction information for all operations of $1,000 and above, and to update KYC records according to attached templates for natural and legal persons as well as ultimate economic beneficiaries.

The circular mandates that institutions submit the required data to the central bank in encrypted form within two business days of the transaction.

Deadlines for implementing new procedures include adopting templates for cash transactions and new clients by the beginning of next month, with full compliance for existing clients within six months of the circular’s issuance.

The central bank warned that violations would expose institutions to sanctions under Article 208 of the Lebanese Code of Money and Credit, ranging from warnings to license revocation, in addition to fines and criminal penalties.

Arab World

Saudi Signals on Lifting Export Ban Revive Hopes for Lebanese Farmers

Saudi Signals on Lifting Export Ban Revive Hopes for Lebanese Farmers
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Saudi Signals on Lifting Export Ban Revive Hopes for Lebanese Farmers

Saudi Signals on Lifting Export Ban Revive Hopes for Lebanese Farmers

Indications that Saudi Arabia is moving to lift its ban on agricultural imports from Lebanon and bolster trade with Beirut have rekindled hopes for new opportunities, particularly in the farming sector that has suffocated in recent years after drug smuggling networks exploited it to traffic narcotics.

Tony Tohme, head of the Economic Committee at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture in Zahle and the Bekaa, said the expected Saudi move to end the ban on Lebanese agricultural exports “marks a highly significant development and a major boost for the Lebanese economy.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the step is “a positive measure that has long been awaited and one we have worked for through long and continuous meetings, because it reopens the largest and most important market for Lebanese agricultural production.”

Tohme stressed that “Lebanon paid a heavy economic price because of the ban,” noting that the Bekaa, which makes up 43 percent of the country’s territory, “was directly affected because thousands of families rely on agriculture as their main source of income.” He added, “The entire economic cycle is disrupted when the agricultural sector declines.”

Losses Worth millions

Before 2021, agricultural exports to the kingdom ranged between 40 million and 50 million dollars a year. These exports were part of wider economic activities that were also hit by the ban, including land transport linked to shipments to Gulf countries. Lebanon’s trade deficit reached nearly 885 million dollars in 2024, according to estimates by the ministries of industry and agriculture and the chambers of commerce.

Land and sea shipping

Tohme said the ban not only blocked the entry of goods into Saudi Arabia, “but also barred Lebanese trucks from transiting Saudi territory toward other Gulf markets.”

Exporters were therefore forced to rely on costly sea freight, which he said was unsuitable for fresh produce that loses quality during long transport times and arrives in bulk, causing sharp price drops.

He said lifting the ban “will not only revive Lebanese vegetables and fruits but will also restore balance to the land transport sector, especially refrigerated trucks, which collapsed entirely after the ban and the halt of overland passage through Saudi Arabia.”

“We hope the decision will be issued soon as indicated by recent signals,” he said, adding that the step “will have positive repercussions on the entire Lebanese economy and will restore vitality to a whole sector that thousands of Lebanese depend on.”

He added, “We are fully prepared to cooperate to ensure the quality of exports and protect the reputation of Lebanese agriculture.”

Market reopening brings farmers back to life

In a related context, Ibrahim Tarshishi, head of the National Farmers’ Union, said Saudi Arabia’s announcement of its readiness to reopen its markets “brought hope back to the agricultural sector after three and a half years of losses.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that farmers received the news “with immense joy and great longing for the return of normal relations with the kingdom.”

Tarshishi said Lebanon previously exported “between 500,000 and 550,000 tons a year” before the figure dropped to “between 200,000 and 300,000 tons” after the ban, a loss of more than 50 percent of export volume.

He said the kingdom “has historically been the primary market for Lebanese agricultural products,” noting that “entire crops stopped being planted because they were destined for Arab markets, such as lettuce which cannot withstand sea transport.”

Tarshishi said lifting the ban “is not merely an economic measure but a key to a comprehensive solution,” adding that it “signals a restoration of confidence in the Lebanese state and in the security agencies that uprooted the dealers and smugglers who harmed Lebanon and its relations with its Arab brothers.”

He said, “When the kingdom opens its doors, other Arab doors open with it. This Saudi initiative is a step of a thousand miles, one that we hope will restore relations to their highest levels for the benefit of Lebanon, the agricultural sector and all Lebanese.”

Arab World

Gaza War Becomes Cash Surge for US Weapons Makers

An Israeli F-16 carrying air-to-air missiles and extra fuel tanks takes off from an air base (Israel Defense Forces)
An Israeli F-16 carrying air-to-air missiles and extra fuel tanks takes off from an air base (Israel Defense Forces)
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Gaza War Becomes Cash Surge for US Weapons Makers

An Israeli F-16 carrying air-to-air missiles and extra fuel tanks takes off from an air base (Israel Defense Forces)
An Israeli F-16 carrying air-to-air missiles and extra fuel tanks takes off from an air base (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel’s war in Gaza, which erupted in October 2023, has become one of the most profitable conflicts for major US defense contractors.

As Gaza was being devastated and hundreds of thousands of civilians faced death and starvation, weapons factories across several US states were running at full capacity to meet Israel’s expanding military demands, generating more than 32 billion dollars in sales in just two years, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis based on US State Department data.

After the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the large-scale Israeli military campaign that followed, Washington moved quickly to open an unprecedented weapons pipeline that included precision-guided munitions, long-range missiles, fighter jets and field equipment.

While Israel typically receives around 3.3 billion dollars in annual military assistance, that figure doubled in 2024 to 6.8 billion dollars in direct funding, not including non-cash support such as logistics, training and intelligence coordination.

A US State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration remains committed to Israel’s right to defend itself, adding that Washington is currently leading a regional effort to end the war through lasting security arrangements.

But despite talk of a “possible end” to the conflict, Pentagon data show that weapons production lines in US factories have not slowed and that supply contracts run through 2029, meaning arms deliveries to Israel will continue even after the fighting stops.

Who is benefiting most?

Boeing sits at the top of the list of beneficiaries after securing a 18.8 billion dollar deal to sell upgraded F-15 fighter jets to Israel, with delivery expected in four years.

The company also won an additional 7.9 billion dollars in contracts to supply Tel Aviv with guided bombs and associated weapons systems. These deals alone represent a major leap compared with Israel’s previous commitments to Boeing, which totaled less than 10 billion dollars over an entire decade.

Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics secured specialized contracts for fighter jet spare parts, precision missiles and 120-millimeter tank rounds used in Merkava tanks.

Caterpillar benefited from soaring demand for its armored D9 bulldozers, widely deployed by the Israeli military to destroy homes and infrastructure in the enclave.

According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, most of the deals are concentrated in aerial munitions and attack aircraft, while ground systems such as tanks and armored vehicles represent a far smaller share of total sales.

War as an economic opportunity

The conflict has not only been a military campaign, it also served as an economic boost for the US defense sector, which in recent years struggled with supply chain disruptions and labor strikes.

Boeing said in its 2024 annual report that its defense division saw strong demand from governments prioritizing security and defense technology amid rising threats.

Lockheed Martin reported a 13 percent increase in missile division revenues, reaching 12.7 billion dollars in a single year.

Oshkosh, which produces tactical military vehicles, said Israel’s orders saved a production line that was close to shutting down last year. Italy’s Leonardo Group, whose US unit sells military trailers to Israel, said in its latest financial report that the continuation of the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel ensures stable international sales for 2025.

The cost of war and who pays the price

Although the billions flowing through arms deals reflect a boom for the US defense industry, the humanitarian and political dimensions of the conflict have fueled debate in the United States and abroad.

The war has killed more than 68,000 people, including about 18,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has not released any official figures on the number of Hamas fighters killed.

As Washington funds a significant share of these sales with US taxpayer money, some Western financial institutions have started taking protest measures.

Three Norwegian funds withdrew investments from companies such as Caterpillar, Oshkosh and Palantir over the use of their products in Gaza. The Dutch pension fund sold its 448 million dollar stake in Caterpillar for the same reasons.

In Europe, Germany announced in August 2025 a halt to all arms export licenses to Israel for use in Gaza. US technology companies also faced internal pressure, prompting Microsoft to restrict the Israeli Defense Ministry’s access to some of its cloud services.

Artificial intelligence on the battlefield

Alongside conventional weapons, the war created a wider arena for cooperation on artificial intelligence and digital surveillance. Palantir, owned by conservative billionaire Peter Thiel, entered a partnership with the Israeli Defense Ministry in early 2024. After criticism that its tools were being used in airstrikes, CEO Alex Karp responded by saying that most of those killed “were terrorists,” in his words.

Israel also signed pre-war agreements with Google, Amazon and Microsoft for advanced cloud computing services, and all three companies have faced growing employee protests calling for an end to military cooperation.

In an unusual twist, some of the same US firms supplying Israel with weapons also participate in humanitarian relief programs for Gaza.

The US State Department allocated 30 million dollars to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, overseen by former Trump adviser Johnnie Moore, to coordinate aid distribution in the enclave.

The foundation hired American security contractors to protect its operations amid chaos and allegations of poor organization.