Welcome to our coverage of events in the Middle East. Yesterday, we reported on the pressure being placed on Hamas to accelerate the release of dead hostages and progress in negotiations to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas has freed only eight of the 28 hostages who died in Gaza, prolonging the suffering of many families. Israeli officials told CNN that Israel expects Hamas to return more dead hostages today.
US President Donald Trump has called on Hamas to return all dead hostages as part of the Phase 1 deal, saying the “job is not done”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross highlighted the challenges of finding bodies under the rubble and said their return could take weeks.
The slow pace of hostage releases has prompted Israel to limit the resumption of aid to Gaza.
The United Nations said Israel confirmed today that it would only allow 300 aid trucks into Gaza, half of the agreed number, and would not transport fuel or gas except for specific humanitarian needs.
And Israeli officials said security officials advised the political leadership not to open the Rafah border and refrain from transferring full humanitarian aid to Gaza until more bodies were returned.
Many of the thorniest questions remain unresolved, including whether Hamas will lay down its arms and who will rule Gaza.
President Trump said “phase two” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement had begun, but did not say who was mediating it or what was being discussed. Israeli sources and regional diplomats told CNN that negotiations on the next steps in the ceasefire agreement are underway in Egypt.
President Trump warned that Hamas must be disarmed or “we will disarm it.”
