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ABC News

Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies

PHOTO: Protesters call for the release of all the bodies of hostages held in Gaza during an event in Tel Aviv on Oct. 25, 2025.
4:39
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
JD Vance criticizes Israel's parliament vote on West Bank annexation
By Kevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, David Brennan
Last Updated: October 19, 2025, 7:46 PM

U.S. officials -- including Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- traveled to Israel this week for high-level meetings, discussing the next steps in the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by withholding the bodies of the remaining 13 deceased hostages thought to have died during or after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has said the return of the remaining bodies "may take some time" due to the destruction.

Key Headlines

  • Egyptian resources deployed in Gaza to help locate, recover Israeli hostage remains
  • Netanyahu says Israel, not US, will decide security policy
  • Trump hints at 'action' if Hamas doesn't return hostage bodies 'quickly’
  • Rubio says West Bank annexation would 'threaten this whole process'
  • Aid allowed into Gaza is still falling short of what is needed, WHO head says
Here's how the news is developing.

Oct 19, 2025 7:46 PM

2 Israeli soldiers killed 'in combat' in southern Gaza, according to the IDF

Two Israeli soldiers were killed "in combat" in southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Maj. Yaniv Kula, 26, and Staff Sgt. Itay Yavetz, 21, were killed in fighting in southern Gaza, according to the IDF. A reserve Israeli soldier in the Combat Engineering Heavy Equipment Unit was severely injured in the fighting in southern Gaza, the IDF also said.

The injured soldier, whose name was not released, was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment and his family has been notified, according to the IDF.

Details were not released regarding how the Kula and Yavetz were killed, nor how the reserve soldier was injured.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller


Oct 19, 2025 6:49 PM

Israel temporarily closed crossings into Gaza Sunday, said official

An Israeli official confirmed to ABC News that a decision had been made earlier Sunday to close crossings into Gaza, halting aid from entering, but that the decision has since been reversed.

A political source familiar with the matter told ABC News that aid deliveries from crossings into Gaza were also temporarily stopped Sunday due to the bombing and that the Rafah crossing will remain closed for now.

“Due to the intense bombings and dozens of deaths on the Hamas side, Israel stopped truck traffic today, which will resume when the bombings end," the official told ABC News. "Rafah Crossing will only open when we see Hamas continuing to return the dead hostages at a reasonable pace.”

-ABC News' Jordana Miller


Oct 19, 2025 5:13 PM

IDF says it 'struck dozens of Hamas terror targets' in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that it has "struck dozens of Hamas terror targets" in Gaza.

"In response to Hamas’ blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement this morning, the IDF struck dozens of Hamas terror targets across Gaza," the IDF said in a social media post. "The strikes targeted weapons storage facilities, firing posts, terrorist cells and additional Hamas terror infrastructure."

"In addition, the IDF struck and dismantled ~6 km of underground terrorist infrastructure, used to advance attacks against Israel, using over 120 munitions," the post continued.

In an earlier post Sunday, the IDF said the strikes were "in response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today."



Oct 19, 2025 1:58 PM

Hamas military wing says body of another Israeli hostage has been found

Hamas' military wing said that the body of another Israeli hostage has been found and can be handed over "if field conditions" allow.

"Today, we found the body of an Israeli captive during ongoing search operations. It will be handed over today if field conditions allow," the al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

"We emphasize that any Israeli escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and retrieval operations, which will delay the occupation’s recovery of the bodies of its dead," the statement continued.

The bodies of 16 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest information from the Israeli government.


Oct 18, 2025 10:49 PM

State Department warns of 'imminent ceasefire violation' by Hamas against Palestinian civilians

The State Department said in a statement published Saturday that the United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of "credible reports indicating a ceasefire violation" by Hamas against Gazans.

The agency warns that should Hamas proceed with the attack, measures will be taken.

"The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground, and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole," the State Department said.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan


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