Israel Says Received Presumed Remains of Gaza Hostage

A vehicle carrying the remains of a person whom Hamas claims is a deceased hostage, transferred earlier today by Gaza militants to Israeli authorities, arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP)
A vehicle carrying the remains of a person whom Hamas claims is a deceased hostage, transferred earlier today by Gaza militants to Israeli authorities, arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Says Received Presumed Remains of Gaza Hostage

A vehicle carrying the remains of a person whom Hamas claims is a deceased hostage, transferred earlier today by Gaza militants to Israeli authorities, arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP)
A vehicle carrying the remains of a person whom Hamas claims is a deceased hostage, transferred earlier today by Gaza militants to Israeli authorities, arrives at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP)

Israel announced Wednesday it had received hostage remains found in Gaza from the Red Cross, which were being transported to the morgue for identification.  

It comes as the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violating the terms.  

Under the first phase of the deal -- which came into effect in October -- Palestinian fighters were due to return all 48 hostages they held captive, 20 of whom were still alive.  

All but the bodies of two hostages -- Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak -- have since been handed over, but Israel has accused Hamas of dragging their feet on returning remains. 

"Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage, which was delivered to (army) and Shin Bet (internal security service) forces in the Gaza Strip," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.  

"The coffin of the deceased hostage... crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out," the Israeli army said in a statement.  

The military did not specify whether what was discovered were the remains of one of the last two Gaza hostages but the premier's office said authorities were in "continuous contact" with their families. 

Israeli police in a brief statement said they were "currently escorting, with reverence, the coffin of the fallen hostage to the National Center of Forensic Medicine".  

A Hamas official told AFP before the Israeli statement that a team from the two groups' armed wings had "found remains that are possibly those of an Israeli hostage" under the rubble in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.  

AFP footage from northern Gaza showed masked fighters from the two groups standing on the back of a truck with a stretcher covered with a white body bag.  

Diggers were busy working to remove vast piles of rubble.  

On Wednesday morning, Netanyahu's office said forensic tests showed remains retrieved from Gaza the day before were "not linked" to the last two dead hostages held in the Palestinian territory.  

Israeli police said on Tuesday they had received the presumed remains of one of the remaining hostages and escorted what they called "the coffin of the fallen hostage" to the forensic center. 

Hamas has blamed difficulties in finding the remains beneath the sea of rubble created by the two-year war with Israel.  

The Gaza Strip remains in a deep humanitarian crisis despite the ceasefire which came into effect on October 10.  

Under the first phase of the deal brokered by Trump, Palestinian fighters have handed over the last 20 living hostages, and so far, the remains of 26 out of 28 deceased ones.  

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.  

Gunmen took 251 people hostage during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war and resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people. 

Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,117 people, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.  

The ministry says since the ceasefire came into effect, 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel's military has reported three soldiers killed during the same period. 



Israel Army Ends Crackdown on West Bank Town after Attack

Smoke rises following an explosion detonated by the Israeli army, which said it was destroying buildings used by Palestinian militants in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Sunday, February 2, 2025. © Majdi Mohammed, AP
Smoke rises following an explosion detonated by the Israeli army, which said it was destroying buildings used by Palestinian militants in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Sunday, February 2, 2025. © Majdi Mohammed, AP
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Israel Army Ends Crackdown on West Bank Town after Attack

Smoke rises following an explosion detonated by the Israeli army, which said it was destroying buildings used by Palestinian militants in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Sunday, February 2, 2025. © Majdi Mohammed, AP
Smoke rises following an explosion detonated by the Israeli army, which said it was destroying buildings used by Palestinian militants in the West Bank Jenin refugee camp, Sunday, February 2, 2025. © Majdi Mohammed, AP

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had ended its operation in a town in the occupied West Bank that it had sealed off after a Palestinian from the area killed two Israelis.

Around 50 residents of Qabatiya were briefly detained during the two-day operation, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, quoting the town's mayor Ahmed Zakarneh.

The attacker's father and two brothers remained in custody, it added.

The military launched the operation on Friday, shortly after a 34-year-old Palestinian fatally stabbed an 18-year-old Israeli woman and ran over a man in his sixties with his vehicle.

When contacted by AFP on Sunday morning, the military confirmed the end of its operation in the area.

Defense Minister Israel Katz previously said the army had completely sealed off the town.

Wafa also reported that Israeli troops had withdrawn from Qabatiya, near the city of Jenin.

Zakarneh said the town had been in a state of "total paralysis" during the military activity.

Israeli army bulldozers tore up pavement on several streets and erected roadblocks to halt traffic, he said, adding that around 50 houses were searched.

Wafa reported that a school had been turned into a detention and interrogation center.

AFPTV footage filmed on Saturday showed Israeli soldiers carrying automatic rifles and patrolling the streets, where several armoured vehicles were deployed.

Shops were closed, though men and children were seen walking through the village.

On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had sealed off the assailant's home and was finalising "the procedures required for its demolition".

Israeli authorities argue that demolishing the homes of Palestinians who carry out attacks against Israelis has a deterrent effect.

Critics, however, condemn the practice as collective punishment that leaves families homeless.


Arab League Council Holds Extraordinary Session on Latest Developments in Somalia

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Council Holds Extraordinary Session on Latest Developments in Somalia

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

At the request of the Federal Republic of Somalia and with the support of Arab League member states, the Arab League Council on Sunday began its extraordinary session at the league’s General Secretariat, at the level of permanent representatives and under the chairmanship of the United Arab Emirates, to discuss developments regarding the Israeli occupation authorities’ declaration on mutual recognition with the Somaliland region.

The Kingdom’s delegation to the meeting was headed by its Permanent Representative to the Arab League Ambassador Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Matar, SPA reported.

The meeting is discussing ways to strengthen the unified Arab position in addressing this step, to affirm full solidarity with Somalia, and to support its legitimate institutions in a manner that contributes to preserving security and stability in the region.

The meeting also aims to reaffirm the Arab League’s categorical rejection of any unilateral measures or decisions that could undermine Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to emphasize commitment to the principles of international law and the relevant resolutions of the Arab League and the African Union.


Libya Mourns Military Chief Killed in Türkiye Plane Crash

People attend funeral prayers for Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, coffin at left, in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, who was killed with others in a plane crash on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)
People attend funeral prayers for Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, coffin at left, in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, who was killed with others in a plane crash on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)
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Libya Mourns Military Chief Killed in Türkiye Plane Crash

People attend funeral prayers for Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, coffin at left, in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, who was killed with others in a plane crash on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)
People attend funeral prayers for Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, coffin at left, in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, who was killed with others in a plane crash on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)

Hundreds of people on Sunday mourned western Libya’s military chief and four others who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye.

The coffins of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and two others were brought into a stadium in the coastal city of Misrata, their hometown, for a funeral ceremony that included Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah and other military and political leaders. The bodies will be taken by their families for a private burial elsewhere.

Ceremonies were also held in Ankara and Tripoli on Saturday, according to The AP news.

A private jet with al-Haddad and four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Türkiye's capital. Libyan officials said the cause was a technical malfunction on the plane but the investigation is still ongoing in coordination with Türkiye.

Libya plunged into chaos after the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west. The country is governed by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east.