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Israel Returns Bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza as Exchanges Outlined in Fragile Ceasefire Proceed

Palestinians move between destroyed buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, 04 November 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
Palestinians move between destroyed buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, 04 November 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
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Israel Returns Bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza as Exchanges Outlined in Fragile Ceasefire Proceed

Palestinians move between destroyed buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, 04 November 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)
Palestinians move between destroyed buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, 04 November 2025, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (EPA)

Officials at Gaza’s largest functioning hospital said Wednesday that the bodies of 15 more Palestinians were returned from Israel, as exchanges outlined in last month’s fragile ceasefire went ahead despite allegations of violations. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross has transported 285 bodies held in Israeli custody to Gaza since last month's agreement was brokered, though health officials in Gaza have said identifying the remains is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits. 

Israel has not disclosed how many bodies it is holding or where they were recovered, but has been returning 15 each time the remains of an Israeli hostage are returned from Gaza. 

The 15 were returned to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza handed over the body of Itay Chen, an Israeli soldier killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. 

His family mourned after being notified of Chen's return, which they called bittersweet, and demanded further inquiry into how the attack was able to happen, according to a statement from Israel's Hostages and Missing Families Forum. 

The exchanges are the central component of the initial phase of the US-brokered agreement which requires Hamas return all hostage remains as quickly as possible. The exchanges have gone ahead even as Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching other terms of the deal. 

Hamas returned 20 living hostages to Israel on Oct. 13. The group has since also returned the remains of 21 bodies. Israeli officials have decried parts of the process as a violation of the agreement, accusing Hamas of handing over partial remains in some instances and staging the discovery of bodies in others. 

It has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. 

Hamas has said recovering bodies is complicated by the widespread devastation in the coastal enclave and has returned one to three bodies every few days. It has accused Israel of opening fire at civilians and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory. The number of casualties has dropped since the ceasefire took effect. 

But health officials in Gaza, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, have continued to report deaths from strikes, while Israel has said that soldiers have also been killed. 

The deal will not move to subsequent phases until all the remains of Israeli hostages are returned. 

The next parts of the 20-point plan call for creating an international stabilization force. Its makeup hasn’t been finalized, but diplomats are working to define its role, persuade Arab countries to take part, and win wider international support. 

“What we believe is that whatever entity that is created in Gaza should have the legitimacy of a mandate from the Security Council,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Doha on Tuesday. 

The fragile agreement aims to wind down the war that was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. 

Israel responded with a sweeping military offensive that has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts. 

Israel, which has denied accusations by a UN commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll. 

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Arab World

Syrian Interior Ministry Details Results of Security Campaigns in Latakia, Damascus Countrysides

Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
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Syrian Interior Ministry Details Results of Security Campaigns in Latakia, Damascus Countrysides

Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)
Security personnel inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs following a bombing . (AFP)

Syria’s Interior Ministry has announced the results of a series of security operations carried out in recent days in Homs, Latakia, and the Damascus countryside, including the arrest of two alleged ISIS members accused of involvement in the bombing of the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs last month.

The ministry said the operations led to the arrest of three senior figures in a cell known as “Lieutenant Abbas,” affiliated with the “Coastal Shield Brigade” led by Miqdad Fteiha, a prominent figure loyal to the former regime.

Security forces also detained an armed group in the al-Wuroud neighborhood of Damascus that was allegedly planning “acts of sabotage.”

The operations form part of broader efforts to dismantle armed groups and restore the state’s exclusive authority over weapons.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab vowed to continue pursuing ISIS operatives and bringing them to justice.

In a post on X, he said security and intelligence services had conducted a “highly precise operation” resulting in the arrest of those involved in the December 26 attack on the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab district of Homs, which killed eight people and wounded 18 others.

According to the Interior Ministry, security units in Homs, in coordination with the General Intelligence Service, arrested two persons identified as ISIS members. Authorities said explosive devices, various weapons, ammunition, documents, and digital evidence allegedly linking the suspects to terrorist activities were seized.

The two were referred to the Counterterrorism Directorate to complete investigations ahead of prosecution.

In a separate statement earlier Monday, the Interior Ministry said a “valuable catch” was detained by security and intelligence forces in Latakia. It said he was a key figures in the “Lieutenant Abbas” cell. Initial investigations indicated the cell had targeted internal security and army positions in the province.

Meanwhile, in the Damascus countryside, the ministry said security forces carried out a “preemptive operation” in the al-Wuroud neighborhood of Qudsaya city, arresting three individuals accused of planning armed attacks.

The ministry said security services would continue pursuing remaining members of the groups, pledging to “eradicate them completely” to ensure security and stability.

Arab World

Gaza Deal: Cairo Talks Aim to Settle Sector’s ‘Administrative Committee’

Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
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Gaza Deal: Cairo Talks Aim to Settle Sector’s ‘Administrative Committee’

Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 
Displaced Palestinians stand beside a pool of rainwater amid makeshift shelters at the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP). 

Cairo is hosting renewed consultations on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which entered into force on Oct. 10, following the arrival of a delegation from Hamas and amid anticipation of an announcement on the committee that will administer the territory.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks provide an important boost at a critical moment for the second phase of the Gaza agreement, which has been stalled for some time. They stressed that moving forward hinges largely on US will and pressure on Israel.

A Palestinian source said Monday that a Hamas delegation headed by the movement’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo to discuss the second phase and push ahead with the ceasefire deal. The source added that indications suggest the Gaza administration committee will be finalized during the Cairo round, with factions briefed on the names, particularly after recent changes prompted by Israeli objections.

Hamas Political Bureau member Mohammed Nazzal said in televised remarks Sunday night that the delegation would discuss follow-up on implementing the ceasefire amid “major difficulties hindering its application and continued Israeli violations.”

He said the delegation would hold meetings with Palestinian factions and forces, as well as with Egyptian officials, to discuss several files linked to the agreement.

These include ways to consolidate the ceasefire and move to subsequent phases, alongside key issues - foremost the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer Gaza - aimed at preventing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from reneging on or delaying the deal.

Former Egyptian assistant foreign minister and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, said the Cairo consultations are highly significant and could revive the stalled agreement.

He pointed to anticipation surrounding US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a Peace Council, followed by the Gaza administration committee, adding that discussions would also cover approaches to dealing with weapons in Gaza to undercut Netanyahu’s justifications.

He suggested Hamas would press for full implementation of the first phase first, including opening the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, increasing aid, maintaining the ceasefire, and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in parallel with any later steps.

On the Egyptian front, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed, during a Cairo meeting with Irish Minister for Migration, Trade and Defense Helen McEntee, the importance of announcing a temporary Palestinian technocratic committee to manage daily affairs in Gaza and forming an international stabilization force.

 

 

 

Arab World

Lebanese Govt Vows to Carry out Second Phase of Plan to Impose State Monopoly over Arms

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and ambassadors of the quintet countries meet at the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Lebanese government's press office)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and ambassadors of the quintet countries meet at the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Lebanese government's press office)
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Lebanese Govt Vows to Carry out Second Phase of Plan to Impose State Monopoly over Arms

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and ambassadors of the quintet countries meet at the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Lebanese government's press office)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and ambassadors of the quintet countries meet at the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Lebanese government's press office)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed on Monday that his country is determined to carry out the second phase of imposing state monopoly over weapons that the government approved last year.

The army is expected to kick off in February the second phase of the plan, which covers areas north of the Litani River. The first phase, covering south of the river, is close to completion.

Salam received at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Monday ambassadors of the quintet committee overseeing the ceasefire with Israel. The quintet includes Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed al-Bukhari, French Ambassador Herve Magro, Qatari Ambassador Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa, and the United States' Ambassador Michel Issa.

After the talks, Salam said he expressed his gratitude to the envoys for their continued support for his reformist government and the army's disarmament plan.

"I stressed to them our firm determination to implement the second phase of the plan," he added.

Egyptian envoy Moussa said the meeting tackled several issues, including Lebanon's economic reforms and the disarmament plan.

The Lebanese state and army are on the right path, he remarked.

"We have positively assessed the first phase and the state's efforts have been very encouraging," he added.

Moreover, he stressed that Egypt is maintaining its efforts to de-escalate the tensions in Lebanon, especially in the South.

"Our sole goal is to create the circumstances that would ease the tensions," Moussa said.

"We are informing the Lebanese government of all of our efforts. We believe that if the situation is left without Egyptian or non-Egyptian efforts, then the chances of escalation will be greater," he continued.

"We have so far averted the situation from deteriorating," he added.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has opposed efforts to kick off the second phase of the disarmament plan. It had already objected to its disarmament altogether.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Ezzedine said: "The government should work on getting the enemy to unconditionally withdraw from Lebanese territories it is occupying and release prisoners."

He said it should "avoid making concessions at the expense of the national interest, which will only encourage the enemy to continue to extort" Lebanon.