Israel receives remains of hostage as Egypt hosts talks
Israel said it had received the remains of a deceased hostage held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip from the Red Cross, while the bodies of two others were still on the ground six weeks after the fragile ceasefire.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not name the deceased former hostage and said the remains would be handed over to the National Forensic Center for identification.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it found the remains earlier this week in Nuseyrat, a refugee camp in the center of the region.
Under an October agreement between Hamas and Israel after two years of devastating war, Hamas released all 20 surviving hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees of war held by Israel.
The agreement also stipulates the return of the remains of 28 hostages in exchange for the remains of 360 Palestinian militants.
Meanwhile, Egyptian state-run Al Kahera News TV said on Tuesday that the Cairo government was hosting a follow-up meeting for the mediators and guarantors of the ceasefire agreement.
The channel said that the head of Egyptian intelligence, the prime minister of Qatar and the head of Turkish intelligence attended the meeting, without specifying when the meeting was held.
🟡 The deceased hostage’s coffin, accompanied by IDF troops, recently crossed the border into the State of Israel and headed to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out.IDF representatives…— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 25, 2025
According to Al-Qahera, the meeting discussed joint efforts to implement the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the post-war Gaza Strip and overcoming challenges, including ceasefire violations, to consolidate the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas delegation led by its exiled chief Khalil al-Hayya has held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo over the past two days to explore how to implement next steps in Trump’s plan, which include an interim governing authority for the region and an international security force.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for deadly ceasefire violations and accused each other of backtracking on next steps called for by the US plan.
The Israeli army said on Tuesday that its soldiers “eliminated” five armed Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the statement made by the Israel Defense Forces, the incident took place in the east of the city of Rafah.
The statement said, “IDF troops continue their operations in the eastern Rafah region. During the searches carried out by the troops in the region early today, five armed terrorists were identified and neutralized.”
“These were probably terrorists who emerged from the underground terrorist infrastructure in eastern Rafah,” the statement said.
“IDF troops in Southern Command will remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to work to eliminate any immediate threats.”
With DPA and AP
