They were returned in exchange for the latest hostage body handed back from Gaza on Tuesday, that of Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen. Under the terms of the US-brokered agreement in effect since October 10, Israel returns 15 bodies of Palestinians for every body it receives of an Israeli hostage who...

Not including the latest two, Hamas have so far given back the remains of 15 of the 28 deceased hostages that Hamas had agreed to return as part of the US-brokered truce deal with Israel.

The issue of hostage bodies still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the ceasefire implementation, with Israel linking the reopening of the main gateway into the territory to the recovery of all of the deceased.

Responding to a call from Hamas for help locating the bodies of the 19 hostages, buried under the rubble alongside an untold number of Palestinians, Ankara sent specialists to help in the search.

Under the deal pushed by US President Donald Trump and aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. In the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, AFP journalists saw morgue workers unloading refrigerated trucks, parked alongside...

Trump's comments came the day after he swung through the Middle East to celebrate the Gaza ceasefire deal, with questions swirling about the next phases of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

As part of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it held after two years of captivity in Gaza.

As part of the deal's first phase, Hama will free the captives, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held by Israel in its jails.

After two years of brutal war, the families of Israel's remaining hostages in the territory were also hoping the truce -- pushed by US President Donald Trump -- would hold.

In a dramatic moment, AFP journalists saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupt an event at the White House and hand Trump an urgent note about the progress of the negotiations in Egypt.

Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators will speak through mediators shuttling back and forth, only weeks after Israel tried to kill Hamas's lead negotiators in a strike on Qatar.

The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

Hamas's armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on Sunday as it tried to locate two Israeli hostages it said it had lost contact with.

Hamas' armed wing released a video on Monday showing an Israeli-German hostage alive, the second such footage of him shared by the militants this month.

Hamas' armed wing published Saturday "farewell" photographs of most of the remaining hostages in Gaza, warning that Israel's assault on Gaza City could endanger them

The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza expressed "deep concern" following an Israeli attack on Tuesday on Hamas's leadership in Qatar, which has been mediating ceasefire talks.

"The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning," Trump said on social media, without elaborating further.

A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostage Square -- which has been a focal point for protests throughout the war. Demonstrators also blocked roads, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem where they set tires on fire

Demonstrators waved signs and held up pictures of hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory as they called on the government to secure their release.

"Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," Hamas said in a statement.

His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince Netanyahu to end the war.

In response, Hamas's armed wing said it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if "humanitarian corridors" for food and aid were opened "across all areas of the Gaza Strip".

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 21 people were killed and around 150 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid point in central Gaza early Tuesday, and that another 25 were killed in a separate incident in south Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted gains in the conflict against Iran would help with the country's war footing in Gaza and bringing the hostages home but said "more time" was needed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he ordered negotiators to "advance" talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza, after sensing an opportunity amid Israel's unprecedented attack on arch-foe Iran.

"Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages," Abbas said in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "I'm the one paying the price, our people are paying the price,...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza Tuesday, his office announced, as the military kept up the offensive it resumed on March 18, effectively ending a two-month ceasefire.

Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing a hostage alive in Gaza, whom Israeli media widely identified as Israeli-American Edan Alexander

The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned the captives would return "in coffins" if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase, which would include a permanent end to the war, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the reopening of border crossings for aid, and the release of remaining hostages.

During the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight who were deceased, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinians captive in Israeli prisons. Hamas also released five Thai captives outside the accord.

"Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you," he wrote on his Truth Social platform after meeting freed hostages. "This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time...

Israeli authorities received four hostage bodies from Hamas, while Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in Ramallah, as ceasefire negotiations involving Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. move forward.

Mediators have revived a deal for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, marking a renewed effort to uphold the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement

Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday it had received the names of three hostages to be freed by militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners this weekend, after a crisis in the ceasefire threatened to plunge Gaza back into war. The hostages due for release Saturday are Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha...

Hamas official Bassem Naim warned that Israel’s "procrastination" in implementing the agreement could jeopardize the ceasefire, as negotiations began on the next phase to extend the fragile truce.

Trump vowed to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” citing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release as key steps toward peace, drawing a standing ovation during his inauguration speech.

The 42-day truce's first phase involves prisoner exchanges and hostage releases, but the future remains uncertain as both sides navigate challenges toward achieving a sustainable and lasting peace agreement.

Jerusalem, Undefined - Frustrated with the dwindling prospect of reaching a ceasefire deal in the year-long Gaza war, some Israeli entrepreneurs have sought a different avenue to release hostages -- offering a financial reward for those who choose to free them. Former SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum told AFP Monday he had...

Jerusalem -- Pressure mounted Monday on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a major strike was held and US President Joe Biden said he was not doing enough to secure the release of Gaza hostages, following the killing of six captives. Israelis were gripped by grief and fury after the...

A nationwide strike aimed at ramping up pressure on Israel's government to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza was set to begin Monday. The call by Israel's largest union to paralyse the economy follows a night of massive demonstrations, with tens of thousands of protesters taking to...

"I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken," Arnon bar David, chairman of Israel's powerful Histadrut trade union said in a statement. "Starting tomorrow at six in the morning, the entire Israeli economy will go on complete strike."

The Israeli army said Thursday that two Thai hostages earlier believed to be alive in Gaza were killed in the October 7 attack and their bodies are being held in the Palestinian territory. "We informed the families of two kidnapped Thai citizens, who worked in agriculture in the plantations near...

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce ever since a one-week halt to the fighting in November saw 80 Israeli hostages exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Protesters within Israel are demanding that the government secure freedom for other hostages.

According to reports in US media, Burns would meet in the Egyptian capital with Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The talks in Cairo would focus on freeing hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas fighters.

Jerusalem--One of the Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack has been killed and his body is being held in Gaza, two groups representing hostage families said Tuesday. Uriel Baruch, 35, a father of two, was taken from the Supernova music festival, where 364 people were killed during...

JERUSALEM – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called for a deal to free hostages held in war-ravaged Gaza accompanied by a "longer-lasting ceasefire", as warring parties geared up for more talks. "We need a hostage deal with a longer-lasting ceasefire," Scholz said during a joint press appearance in Jerusalem...

During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The official said that between 20 and 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would...

As the peaceful demonstration was underway in Jerusalem, a senior US official said a truce deal which may see hostages freed could be within reach. Mediators from many countries have scrambled to lock in a new truce before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins later this month.

A senior US official told reporters that the framework agreement envisages a six-week cessation of hostilities, which could begin immediately if the Palestinian movement Hamas signs off on the release of the most vulnerable hostages it holds. The official said that the Israelis have "more or less accepted it."