A multinational task force including Israel, the United States, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar will be established to locate the bodies of Israeli hostages still missing in the Gaza Strip. The formation of the joint mission was finalized during the Sharm el-Sheikh negotiations in Egypt, where U.S., Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators secured the landmark agreement that halted nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The task force’s mandate will be to find and recover the bodies of hostages whose locations remain unknown, including those believed to have been buried under Gaza’s vast network of tunnels and rubble. A senior Turkish official said Ankara would participate directly in the operation, underscoring Turkey’s expanding diplomatic role in post-war Gaza reconstruction and mediation efforts. “Since we expect there to be difficulties, we acted to set up an international task force that will have everything needed, including information and resources, to return the hostages to Israel,” said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s special coordinator for hostage affairs. 48 hostages remain in Gaza, including 47 from the original 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre. The IDF has confirmed at least 26 are dead, with 20 believed alive and two in critical condition or unaccounted for. Among those held is the body of an Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza war, whose remains Hamas has long refused to return. Under the terms of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, all hostages — living and dead — are to be returned within 72 hours of the truce’s implementation, which began on Friday. But Hamas has told mediators that it does not know the whereabouts of several deceased captives, complicating its ability to meet that deadline. “Some of the bodies may have been lost in collapsed tunnels or handed to unaffiliated groups,” one Israeli official told CNN, noting that intelligence assessments suggest seven to fifteen bodies may remain unaccounted for. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been aware of the situation “for months,” officials added. The new task force will combine forensic, intelligence, and engineering teams from the participating nations, supported by data from Israel’s military intelligence and Shin Bet. Officials said the mission will work closely with Egyptian border authorities and international humanitarian groups to coordinate search areas. The effort represents a rare operational collaboration between Israel and Turkey, whose diplomatic ties have been strained for over a decade, and comes amid deep skepticism in Israel about Hamas’s willingness or ability to cooperate. The initiative also reflects the complex realities of the ceasefire deal — hailed by Washington as a diplomatic breakthrough but still fraught with logistical and moral challenges. Israel’s experience with hostage recovery has been agonizingly slow. Between January and March 2025, Hamas released 30 captives — including 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — along with the bodies of eight slain Israelis. One additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was freed in May as a “gesture” to the U.S. Those releases followed a weeklong truce in November 2023, when 105 civilians were freed, and an earlier period in which four hostages were released shortly after the war began. So far, eight hostages have been rescued alive in Israeli operations, while the bodies of 51 others have been recovered — among them three captives mistakenly killed by IDF troops during […]
The IDF completed its withdrawal to agreed-upon deployment lines in the Gaza Strip on Friday, officially activating a fragile ceasefire and triggering a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all remaining hostages under the first phase of the U.S.-brokered deal. The pullback, finalized at noon, came under fire. Artillery and airstrikes continued in several zones as troops repositioned, and a reservist soldier was killed by a Hamas sniper just hours before the ceasefire began — a reminder of the volatility that remains on the ground. The IDF later identified the fallen soldier as Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani hy”d, 26, of Dimona, serving in the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion. His death brought Israel’s military toll since the start of the ground operation to 472, including two police officers and three civilian contractors. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas has until noon Monday to hand over all surviving hostages and as many of the bodies of the dead as it can locate. Following the redeployment, Israel now holds roughly 53 percent of Gaza’s territory, much of it outside dense population centers. That includes a buffer zone along the Strip’s entire perimeter and control of key corridors: the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, the northern towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, the eastern ridges of Gaza City, and broad swaths of Rafah and Khan Younis in the south. Both the IDF and Hamas’s Civil Defense agency issued public warnings Friday urging civilians to stay away from areas where Israeli forces remain deployed. “According to the agreement, IDF troops will remain deployed in specific areas of the Gaza Strip. Do not approach IDF troops in the area until further notice,” said Col. Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson. “Approaching the forces exposes you to danger.” He said movement between north and south Gaza would be allowed via the Rashid coastal road and Salah a-Din highway, but cautioned against entering sensitive areas: “Approaching Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya, Rafah crossing, or the Philadelphi Corridor remains extremely dangerous.” Adraee also warned civilians to stay out of the Mediterranean: “There is great danger in fishing, swimming, and diving. We warn against entering the sea in the coming days.” Hamas’s Civil Defense echoed the warning, telling Gazans to avoid border areas “until an official announcement is made about a full withdrawal.” Despite the cautions, video footage from Gaza showed hundreds of residents moving north along the coastal road toward Gaza City — the war-ravaged urban center that has seen some of the most intense fighting of the conflict. Under the terms of the U.S.-brokered agreement, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7 attacks. Hamas has informed mediators it may not be able to account for all the bodies of slain hostages, which could complicate the timeline of the exchange. For Gaza, the truce brought a measure of relief — and uncertainty. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble after months of fighting, with over a million people displaced. For Israel, the pause represents both a diplomatic breakthrough and a test of trust in Hamas’s commitment to the terms of the deal. As the 72-hour clock began ticking Friday, both sides brace for what could either […]
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich announced Thursday that their parties will vote against the first phase of Israel’s newly announced ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, setting up a potential confrontation that could fracture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition. The deal — which the cabinet is expected to approve tonight following hours of delay — calls for the release of all 48 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But Ben Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister and head of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, said the cost of the agreement was too high. “Our hearts are filled with joy, happiness and excitement that all the hostages are expected to return home,” Ben Gvir said in a statement. “But alongside this joy, we must not — under any circumstances — ignore the question of the price: the release of thousands of terrorists, including 250 murderers who are expected to be freed from prisons.” Citing the danger of releasing convicted terrorists, Ben Gvir said Otzma Yehudit would “oppose the deal in the government.” The cabinet meeting, delayed for more than three hours over Ben Gvir’s objections to the prisoner list, is still expected to ratify the agreement later tonight. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party, also announced his faction would vote against the deal, deepening tensions between Netanyahu’s far-right partners and the rest of the coalition. While Ben Gvir said his party would remain in the coalition for now, he issued a warning to Netanyahu. “I made it clear to the prime minister that I will not remain in a government that allows Hamas’s rule in Gaza to continue,” he said. “If Hamas’s rule is not dismantled, or if we are merely told that it has been dismantled while in reality it continues to exist under another guise — Otzma Yehudit will bring down the government.” If both Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism withdraw from the coalition, Netanyahu’s 60-seat government — already short of a parliamentary majority — would fall to just 47 seats in the 120-member Knesset, potentially triggering new elections. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator in the ceasefire deal announced Thursday, delivered his first public remarks since the agreement was reached, declaring that the group had secured U.S. guarantees to end the war “indefinitely” and confirming the key terms of the accord with Israel. Speaking in Gaza City, al-Hayya claimed Hamas had “acted responsibly” throughout negotiations led by mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with backing from Iran and Yemen, and that the agreement marked the “end of the war” and the start of an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. “Today we announce an agreement to end the war, [see Israel] withdraw from the Strip and carry out a prisoner exchange,” al-Hayya said. “We received guarantees from the mediators and the Americans that the war has ended indefinitely.” The deal — officially announced earlier Thursday by the White House and the Israeli government — calls for the release of all 48 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 additional detainees from Gaza who were imprisoned after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The later stages of the agreement, which include Hamas’s disarmament and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, have yet to be negotiated. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said earlier Thursday that Israel “is not preparing to renew the war,” signaling that Jerusalem is prepared to uphold the ceasefire as long as Hamas complies with its terms. Al-Hayya’s speech blended triumph and defiance, framing the agreement as both a military and diplomatic victory for Hamas. “Just as they were men on the battlefield, so we were men at the negotiating table,” he said, referring to Hamas operatives killed in the fighting. By invoking American “guarantees” of peace, al-Hayya appeared to credit President Donald Trump’s administration with playing a decisive role in finalizing the agreement — a claim that could complicate Israel’s domestic debate over the deal and its long-term implications for Gaza’s future governance. The remarks also underscored the influence of regional powers long aligned with Hamas. “We thank Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their mediation, and we thank our brothers in Iran and Yemen for their steadfast support,” al-Hayya said, acknowledging Tehran and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen — both of which have maintained hostilities against Israel throughout the war. While the ceasefire represents the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the conflict erupted last year, Israeli officials have yet to confirm the duration or scope of the American “guarantees” cited by al-Hayya — leaving key questions about enforcement and verification still unresolved. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
DEVELOPING: The Security Cabinet has concluded its meeting to discuss and approve the ceasefire and hostage-release stage of the U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza, according to an official from one of the participating ministries who spoke to The Times of Israel. The proposal will now be brought before the full cabinet for a vote, where it is expected to pass with a strong majority.
Farmers in northern Israel carved a massive message into their fields reading “NOBEL 4 TRUMP,” celebrating President Trump’s historic Middle East peace deal.
BREAKING: Police are investigating a bomb threat targeting Yeshiva University. The threat, sent yesterday, was not seen until today, and is not considered credible.
Benny & Friends A Chol Hamoed concert with Benny Friedman featuring a star studded lineup of special guests Sunday Oct 12, Chol Hamoed Sukkos Newark Symphony Hall Get Your Tickets Now!! https://t.ly/sing.ywn
ROCK HILL: Catskills Hatzolah and other emergency personnel are on the scene of a serious MVA involving an overturned vehicle at 187 Glenwild Road. One child is being airlifted by Medevac to Westchester Medical Center with serious injuries but in stable condition, while four additional patients were transported by Catskills Hatzolah to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown in stable condition.
President Trump on subsequent phases of the Gaza Peace Deal: “The first thing we’re doing is getting our hostages back… After that, we’ll see — but they’ve agreed to things and I think it’s going to move along pretty well.”
TRUMP: “Just everything came together, I think the attack was very important on Iran, because if that hadn’t happened, then probably by now there would have been nuclear weapons, therefore even if we signed a deal, there would have been dark clouds on it, but now Iran wants to work on peace, they informed this, they also supported this deal, we appreciate. We’ll work with Iran, there are a lot of sanctions.”
Further details of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to permanently halt fighting in Gaza have been revealed. The deal, which Israel’s cabinet is expected to ratify within hours, lays out a precise, staged process meant to bring an end to active fighting while returning Israeli captives home. Under the agreement, Hamas will have 72 hours to release all remaining Israeli hostages once the ceasefire takes effect. Only after that period will Israel begin releasing Palestinian prisoners. If all hostages are not returned alive — and if some are confirmed to have been killed in Gaza — a separate, classified Israeli response plan will be enacted. That contingency, to be presented to the cabinet, addresses scenarios in which Hamas cannot locate the bodies of all deceased hostages. The agreement calls for the release of 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences. In addition, Israel will free roughly 1,700 Gazans who were detained after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks but were not involved in the assault. Those individuals will either be repatriated to Gaza or deported abroad. A further 22 minors, none of whom took part in the October 7 attacks, will also be released under the deal. Israel will additionally return the bodies of about 360 Palestinian terrorists killed in the fighting to Hamas custody. The hostage release will begin once the IDF withdraws to newly designated lines within Gaza — a process expected to occur within 24 hours of the cabinet’s approval of the deal. The hostages are to be freed in batches over the 72-hour period, with international monitors expected to oversee compliance. While the agreement represents the most comprehensive framework reached since the start of the war, Israeli officials caution that the plan’s success depends on Hamas’s ability to produce all hostages, living and deceased. Should the group fail to meet its obligations, Israel’s security cabinet will consider activating the classified contingency plan. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Four IDF soldiers were injured — one seriously and three lightly — in a military-related vehicle accident along the Gaza border earlier Monday, the IDF said in a statement. The soldiers, all from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, were evacuated to nearby hospitals for treatment, and their families have been notified. According to the army, the troops were traveling in a Humvee that collided with an M-109 self-propelled howitzer on a road near the border. An initial IDF investigation indicates that the crash was likely caused by poor visibility from heavy dust in the area. The circumstances of the incident remain under investigation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Knesset is illuminated in red, white, and blue ahead of Trump’s expected visit on Sunday. It will be the first time the Knesset is open during Sukkot since 1973, when Golda Meir briefed lawmakers on the Yom Kippur War.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Hamas has lost “70,000 people” since the terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack, apparently rounding up the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry’s death toll, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. “From the Hamas standpoint, they probably lost 70,000 people. That’s big retribution,” Trump said near the beginning of a cabinet meeting at the White House. Israel says it has killed some 22,000 combatants in the war as of August. “But at some point that whole, that whole thing has to stop, and we’re going to see to it,” Trump said. “Gaza is going to be slowly redone,” he continued, highlighting the various Arab and Muslim countries that have committed to assisting in the rebuilding effort. The president asserted that his decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in June was “very important” in helping bring about this morning’s Gaza deal. “Let’s say that didn’t happen, [Iran] probably by now would have… numerous nuclear weapons, and therefore, even if we signed a deal, there’d be a big dark cloud over it,” Trump said. “We have major sanctions on Iran… \[but] we’d like to see them be able to rebuild their country too,” he said. Trump thanked the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Indonesia for their help in securing the Gaza deal. Turning to the ongoing hostage situation, the president said the captives will be freed within the next few days. “They should be released on Monday or Tuesday. Getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them,” Trump said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting. “Last night, we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East,” he said. “We ended the war in Gaza, and really, on a much bigger basis, created peace… hopefully an everlasting peace in the Middle East.” Trump said he is planning to travel to the Middle East next week, though the exact timing has not yet been finalized. He said he will go to Egypt to participate in a signing ceremony. He did not mention a stop in Israel, even though Israeli officials have said they are planning for such a visit on Sunday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Four IDF soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion were injured—one seriously and three lightly—in a military-related car crash on the Gaza border earlier today; they were taken to hospitals and their families notified, the army said.
