The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any of the hostages, Israel said Saturday, the latest setback that could undermine a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.Related video above: Deadliest day in Gaza since ceasefireThe handover followed Israel's return on Friday of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza. That completed an exchange after militants earlier this week turned over remains of two hostages, a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement was edging forward.The unidentified remains of the three people were returned late Friday to Israel, where they were being examined overnight. At the time, a military official warned that Israeli intelligence suggested they did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war. The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday confirmed that the remains did not belong to any of the hostages, without giving further details.Hamas' armed wing said in a subsequent statement that it had offered to hand over samples on Friday of unidentified bodies, but that Israel had refused to receive them and asked for the remains for examination."We handed the bodies over to stop the claims of Israel," the statement said.It was unclear who the remains belonged to.Since the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years.But the process of returning the bodies of the last 11 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly, with militants releasing just one or two bodies every few days.The total number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the ceasefire began now stands at 225. Only 75 of those have been identified by families, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, whether they died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war. Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to health authorities in Gaza on Friday, completing an exchange after militants turned over remains of two hostages, in a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is edging forward. The bodies were transferred with the Red Cross serving as intermediary. The return of the Palestinian remains was confirmed by a doctor at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where medical workers were striving to identify them.The fragile truce faced its biggest challenge earlier this week when Israel carried out strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, and the incomplete return of hostages.Gaza and Israel grapple with latest exchange of bodiesPhotos showed the remains, in white body bags, arranged in rows inside the grounds of Nasser Hospital. Health officials have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits.The handover brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel to 225, only 75 of which have been identified by families, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.The bodies returned had been "torn apart and exhumed," Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said in a post on X."Their flesh had melted, their faces erased by fire, leaving behind only bones and teeth," he said.The Israeli military has previously told The Associated Press that all bodies returned so far are those of combatants, a claim the AP was unable to verify. The military has said it operates in accordance with international law.Al-Bursh said recently that many of the bodies handed over appear to be fighters or others killed during the 2023 attack. Several relatives who have identified the bodies of family members said they weren't fighters.In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late Thursday that the remains returned by Palestinian militants had been confirmed as those of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both taken hostage during the 2023 attack.Hamas has now returned the remains of 17 hostages since the start of the ceasefire, with 11 others still in Gaza and set to be turned over under the terms of the agreement.On Friday, a small crowd of Israelis gathered in the plaza known as Hostages Square, praying together for the return of the dead hostages still in Gaza."We cannot give up until everybody, all the bodies, will be here," said Rimona Velner, a Tel Aviv resident who joined the gathering. "It's very important to the families and for us ... to close this circle."A fragile ceasefireJordan's foreign minister warned Saturday that Israel maintaining a military presence in the Gaza Strip put at risk the shaky ceasefire.Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security summit, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi added it was "imperative" to have a Palestinian police force maintaining security in the enclave, as an international stabilization force with a United Nations mandate."With Israel staying in Gaza, I think security is going to be a challenge," Safadi said. "Israel cannot stay in 53% of Gaza and then expect security to be achieved."U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point-peace plan includes the formation and deployment of a temporary international stabilization force made of Arab and other international partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza's borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected. The U.S. has ruled out American soldiers in Gaza.Multiple nations have openly shown interest in taking part in a future peacekeeping force but called for a mandate from the United Nations Security Council before committing their troops.Warning to HamasA senior U.S. official and a second source familiar with negotiations said that in messages passed to Hamas by mediators on Wednesday, Israel warned the militant group that its fighters had 24 hours to leave the yellow zone or face strikes.That deadline passed Thursday evening, after which the senior U.S. official said "Israel will enforce the ceasefire and engage Hamas targets behind the yellow line." Hamas did not respond to a request for comment.On Friday, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said that one person had been killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza. Israel's military said its troops had fired after the person approached troops in a way that posed a threat.In a new assessment released Friday, the United Nations said satellite photos taken in early October show that 81 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or otherwise damaged in the conflict.Government officials from eight Arab and Muslim nations will gather in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the next steps for Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.The talks follow a meeting between the countries' leaders and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council, preceding the ceasefire agreement. They mark the latest effort to create an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, outlined in a 20-point U.S. plan.The ceasefire, which began Oct. 10, is aimed at winding down a war that is by far the deadliest and most destructive of those ever fought between Israel and Hamas.In the October 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.In the two years since, Israel's military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and is staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.Israel, which some international critics have accused of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the figures without providing its own tally.Indonesia could be part of peacekeeping forceIndonesia, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, has emerged as a strong contender for a Gaza peacekeeping force. During a visit to Asia this week, Trump praised Indonesia's leader for his support for the Middle East deal. Indonesia has offered thousands of troops for Gaza."Indeed, we're committed to send peacekeeping personnel to address the situation in Gaza. But details or the term of reference for that matter remain unclear," Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said earlier this week."There has to be a mandate from the UNSC, which we hope will be issued. There has been no discussions so far, and we're far from settling any details," he said in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after a series of regional meetings, which were also attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.Indonesian military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Freddy Ardianzah said Friday that the number and composition of troops are still at a planning stage.Indonesian officials have called for an independent Palestinian state but underscored the need to "recognize and guarantee the safety and security of Israel."Israeli fire kills teen in West BankIn the central West Bank town of Silwad on Friday, mourners thronged the streets for the funeral of Yamen Hamed, 15, who Palestinian health officials say was shot by an Israeli soldier overnight. Samed Yousef Hamed kissed his son goodbye.Samed said his son left home Thursday to hang out with friends. Soon after, he learned the teen had been injured and Israel's army was preventing an ambulance from reaching him. Ahed Smirat, the ambulance driver who tried to reach Hamed following the shooting, told the AP that troops held him up multiple times. By the time they let him through, troops told him the teen had died, he said.Israel's military called the teen a "terrorist" and said troops had fired, believing that he was holding an explosive, but did not provide any evidence to support that characterization. Hamed's funeral was Friday.The shooting is the latest in a surge of military killings of Palestinian children in the West Bank that has accompanied a general upswing in violence in the territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Some were killed during Israeli military raids in dense neighborhoods, others by sniper fire in peaceful areas.The killings have risen as the Israeli military has stepped up operations in the occupied West Bank since the war's onset in what it calls a crackdown on militants.Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any of the hostages, Israel said Saturday, the latest setback that could undermine a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Related video above: Deadliest day in Gaza since ceasefire
The handover followed Israel's return on Friday of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza. That completed an exchange after militants earlier this week turned over remains of two hostages, a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement was edging forward.
The unidentified remains of the three people were returned late Friday to Israel, where they were being examined overnight. At the time, a military official warned that Israeli intelligence suggested they did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war. The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday confirmed that the remains did not belong to any of the hostages, without giving further details.
Hamas' armed wing said in a subsequent statement that it had offered to hand over samples on Friday of unidentified bodies, but that Israel had refused to receive them and asked for the remains for examination.
"We handed the bodies over to stop the claims of Israel," the statement said.
It was unclear who the remains belonged to.
Since the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years.
But the process of returning the bodies of the last 11 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly, with militants releasing just one or two bodies every few days.
The total number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the ceasefire began now stands at 225. Only 75 of those have been identified by families, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, whether they died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to health authorities in Gaza on Friday, completing an exchange after militants turned over remains of two hostages, in a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is edging forward.
The bodies were transferred with the Red Cross serving as intermediary. The return of the Palestinian remains was confirmed by a doctor at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where medical workers were striving to identify them.
The fragile truce faced its biggest challenge earlier this week when Israel carried out strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, and the incomplete return of hostages.
Gaza and Israel grapple with latest exchange of bodies
Photos showed the remains, in white body bags, arranged in rows inside the grounds of Nasser Hospital. Health officials have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits.
The handover brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel to 225, only 75 of which have been identified by families, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
The bodies returned had been "torn apart and exhumed," Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said in a post on X.
"Their flesh had melted, their faces erased by fire, leaving behind only bones and teeth," he said.
AFP via Getty Images
An employee of the Nasser Medical Complex sits on the ground resting after the unloading of body bags containing the 30 corpses of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel and released as part of the hostage exchange deal, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 31, 2025.
The Israeli military has previously told The Associated Press that all bodies returned so far are those of combatants, a claim the AP was unable to verify. The military has said it operates in accordance with international law.
Al-Bursh said recently that many of the bodies handed over appear to be fighters or others killed during the 2023 attack. Several relatives who have identified the bodies of family members said they weren't fighters.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late Thursday that the remains returned by Palestinian militants had been confirmed as those of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both taken hostage during the 2023 attack.
OMAR AL-QATTAA
Members of the Red Cross stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as heavy machinery operates in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City on Oct. 27, 2025.
Hamas has now returned the remains of 17 hostages since the start of the ceasefire, with 11 others still in Gaza and set to be turned over under the terms of the agreement.
On Friday, a small crowd of Israelis gathered in the plaza known as Hostages Square, praying together for the return of the dead hostages still in Gaza.
"We cannot give up until everybody, all the bodies, will be here," said Rimona Velner, a Tel Aviv resident who joined the gathering. "It's very important to the families and for us ... to close this circle."
A fragile ceasefire
Jordan's foreign minister warned Saturday that Israel maintaining a military presence in the Gaza Strip put at risk the shaky ceasefire.
Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security summit, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi added it was "imperative" to have a Palestinian police force maintaining security in the enclave, as an international stabilization force with a United Nations mandate.
"With Israel staying in Gaza, I think security is going to be a challenge," Safadi said. "Israel cannot stay in 53% of Gaza and then expect security to be achieved."
U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point-peace plan includes the formation and deployment of a temporary international stabilization force made of Arab and other international partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza's borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected. The U.S. has ruled out American soldiers in Gaza.
Multiple nations have openly shown interest in taking part in a future peacekeeping force but called for a mandate from the United Nations Security Council before committing their troops.
Warning to Hamas
A senior U.S. official and a second source familiar with negotiations said that in messages passed to Hamas by mediators on Wednesday, Israel warned the militant group that its fighters had 24 hours to leave the yellow zone or face strikes.
That deadline passed Thursday evening, after which the senior U.S. official said "Israel will enforce the ceasefire and engage Hamas targets behind the yellow line." Hamas did not respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said that one person had been killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza. Israel's military said its troops had fired after the person approached troops in a way that posed a threat.
In a new assessment released Friday, the United Nations said satellite photos taken in early October show that 81 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or otherwise damaged in the conflict.
FADEL SENNA
Smoke rises after an Israeli army strike in the Northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Oct. 29, 2025. Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israel carried out air strikes on Oct. 28, 2025, despite an ongoing ceasefire, after accusing Hamas of attacking its troops and violating the US-brokered truce. At least 11 people were killed in strikes targeting several parts of Gaza, the agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas, said.
Government officials from eight Arab and Muslim nations will gather in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the next steps for Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.
The talks follow a meeting between the countries' leaders and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council, preceding the ceasefire agreement. They mark the latest effort to create an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, outlined in a 20-point U.S. plan.
The ceasefire, which began Oct. 10, is aimed at winding down a war that is by far the deadliest and most destructive of those ever fought between Israel and Hamas.
In the October 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
In the two years since, Israel's military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and is staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
Israel, which some international critics have accused of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the figures without providing its own tally.
Indonesia could be part of peacekeeping force
Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, has emerged as a strong contender for a Gaza peacekeeping force. During a visit to Asia this week, Trump praised Indonesia's leader for his support for the Middle East deal. Indonesia has offered thousands of troops for Gaza.
"Indeed, we're committed to send peacekeeping personnel to address the situation in Gaza. But details or the term of reference for that matter remain unclear," Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said earlier this week.
"There has to be a mandate from the UNSC, which we hope will be issued. There has been no discussions so far, and we're far from settling any details," he said in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after a series of regional meetings, which were also attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Indonesian military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Freddy Ardianzah said Friday that the number and composition of troops are still at a planning stage.
Indonesian officials have called for an independent Palestinian state but underscored the need to "recognize and guarantee the safety and security of Israel."
Israeli fire kills teen in West Bank
In the central West Bank town of Silwad on Friday, mourners thronged the streets for the funeral of Yamen Hamed, 15, who Palestinian health officials say was shot by an Israeli soldier overnight. Samed Yousef Hamed kissed his son goodbye.
Samed said his son left home Thursday to hang out with friends. Soon after, he learned the teen had been injured and Israel's army was preventing an ambulance from reaching him. Ahed Smirat, the ambulance driver who tried to reach Hamed following the shooting, told the AP that troops held him up multiple times. By the time they let him through, troops told him the teen had died, he said.
Anadolu
Palestinians inspect the heavily damaged buildings, some of which have been completely destroyed, and collect usable items at the Nuseirat refugee camp after Israeli forces struck the central Gaza, violating the ceasefire, on Oct. 29, 2025, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The Israeli army killed 63 Palestinians, including 24 children, in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday evening, violating the ceasefire agreement, according to medics.
Israel's military called the teen a "terrorist" and said troops had fired, believing that he was holding an explosive, but did not provide any evidence to support that characterization. Hamed's funeral was Friday.
The shooting is the latest in a surge of military killings of Palestinian children in the West Bank that has accompanied a general upswing in violence in the territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Some were killed during Israeli military raids in dense neighborhoods, others by sniper fire in peaceful areas.
The killings have risen as the Israeli military has stepped up operations in the occupied West Bank since the war's onset in what it calls a crackdown on militants.
Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
