Jerusalem, October 17, 2025 – In a late-night phone conversation that underscored the fragility of the nascent Gaza ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed U.S. President Donald Trump on stalled efforts to retrieve the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages held by Hamas, according to reports from Israel's Israel Hayom daily and multiple Hebrew-language outlets. The discussion, which occurred Thursday evening local time, centered on what Israeli officials described as "deliberate delays" by the Palestinian militant group in fulfilling its obligations under the U.S.-brokered truce that took effect on October 10. Trump, fresh from a high-profile Middle East tour that included addresses to the Israeli Knesset and a Gaza reconstruction summit in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, reaffirmed his "unwavering support" for Israel's security measures, including potential responses to non-compliance.
The call comes amid growing acrimony over the second phase of a prisoner exchange that has already seen significant movement but now teeters on the brink of collapse. Since Monday, Hamas has released all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages—captured during the October 7, 2023, attacks that killed over 1,200 people and sparked the 24-month war—along with the remains of 10 out of 28 deceased captives whose bodies were held in Gaza. In return, Israel freed 250 Palestinians serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis and 1,718 others detained from Gaza after October 8, 2023, many held without formal charges under administrative detention policies. Yet, more than 10,000 Palestinians—estimated at around 10,500 by human rights groups—remain in Israeli prisons, fueling accusations from Palestinian advocates of an imbalanced deal designed to maintain leverage.
Hamas has attributed the delays in recovering the remaining 18 bodies to logistical challenges, asserting that many are trapped under rubble from Israeli airstrikes and ground operations that devastated Gaza's infrastructure. "We are making serious efforts to conclude this file, but retrieving remains from collapsed tunnels and bombed-out buildings requires specialized equipment and time," a Hamas spokesperson told Al Jazeera on Thursday. The group proposed international assistance, including a Turkish delegation of 80 engineers and recovery experts equipped with heavy machinery, but Israel rejected the overture, with officials claiming it was a ploy to "infiltrate aid workers" and that Hamas could access the sites "immediately without external help."
Israel's skepticism deepened when forensic experts at the Abu Kabir Institute in Tel Aviv determined that one of the 10 bodies received earlier this week did not match any known hostage profile, prompting accusations of bad faith. "This is not a mere mismatch; it's a violation of the agreement's spirit," said Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu's special envoy for hostage affairs, during a briefing to families on Thursday. Hirsch added that Israel has shared intelligence with U.S. mediators indicating Hamas holds access to at least 15 more bodies than it admits, including those of identified victims like sound technician Guy Illouz and IDF Captain Daniel Peretz, whose remains were among the confirmed returns. The Israeli military has vowed to form a multinational task force, potentially involving U.S. and Egyptian teams, to scour Gaza if Hamas fails to deliver by a self-imposed deadline of October 20.
The Netanyahu-Trump dialogue, described by Israeli sources as "frank and strategic," reportedly included Netanyahu outlining contingency plans for "targeted operations" against Hamas holdouts if the impasse persists. Trump, who has positioned the ceasefire as a cornerstone of his "historic dawn" for Middle East peace, responded by stressing U.S. backing for Israel's "right to self-defense" while warning Hamas of "severe consequences." In a Truth Social post early Friday, Trump echoed earlier threats: "Hamas must honor the deal or face all hell— we've given them every chance." This marks a hardening of the U.S. stance since Trump's October 12 declaration from Air Force One that the "war is over," a proclamation made en route to Israel as the first hostages crossed into Israeli territory.
Public pressure in Israel has intensified the stakes. Earlier Thursday, relatives of the unrecovered hostages gathered outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, demanding a suspension of further truce phases until all remains are repatriated. "We've waited two years for closure; we won't accept half-measures," said Yael Adar, mother of Tamir Adar, whose body was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused the government of "political maneuvering" to appease far-right coalition partners like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for erasing Hamas entirely. Protests in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, ongoing since the war's outset, swelled to thousands, blending grief with chants of "No more deals without our dead."
On the Palestinian side, the exchange has elicited a mix of jubilation and outrage. In Khan Younis, crowds greeted over 90 released detainees at Nasser Hospital on Wednesday, many bearing scars from what Gaza's Health Ministry described as "systematic abuse" during captivity. Forensic reports from the ministry, corroborated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), revealed that among the 120 Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the ceasefire began, several showed evidence of torture, including broken ribs, blindfolds, and signs of execution-style killings. "These are not just numbers; they are fathers, brothers, sons—mutilated and discarded," said a ministry spokesperson. Human Rights Watch called for an independent probe, noting that the remains included civilians killed in strikes and held by the IDF for identification.
The truce's foundations trace back to Trump's ambitious 20-point peace proposal unveiled on September 29, 2025, during a White House summit with Netanyahu. The plan mandated an immediate ceasefire, phased Israeli withdrawals to a "yellow line" in northern Gaza, hostage releases, and Hamas disarmament in exchange for reconstruction aid exceeding $50 billion from Gulf states like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Egypt and Qatar mediated the final text, with Trump dispatching envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Cairo for last-minute tweaks. By October 12, as Trump landed in Tel Aviv, the deal appeared sealed: 20 living hostages—ranging from elderly Holocaust survivor Alon Ohel to Nepali worker Bipin Joshi—were freed in emotional scenes broadcast worldwide.
Yet, as the dust settles, deeper fissures emerge. Israeli officials confirmed Thursday that negotiations for the ceasefire's second stage—encompassing full IDF withdrawal, Hamas's demilitarization, and Gaza's governance—have not commenced, contradicting Trump's earlier claim that "talks are underway." Hamas insists on "technical compliance" first, while Israeli intelligence warns of internal Gaza clashes, including a reported execution of suspected collaborators by Hamas-linked gunmen in Gaza City this week. Trump, addressing reporters post-call, hinted at flexibility: "If they don't behave, we'll take care of it— but peace is still possible."
Regionally, the deal has reshaped alliances. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, long wary of Hamas's Iranian ties, pledged $20 billion for Gaza's rebuild, conditional on deradicalization programs. Jordan and Egypt, hosting the October 13 summit, emphasized a two-state horizon, though Trump dismissed it as "outdated," favoring his vision of a "demilitarized Gaza under international oversight." Iranian proxies like Hezbollah, battered by Israeli strikes in June that targeted nuclear sites, have remained subdued, but Tehran condemned the truce as a "Zionist trap."
Critics, including former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, argue the agreement sidesteps root causes like West Bank settlements, now exceeding 700,000 Jewish residents. "We've traded lives for a pause, not peace," Olmert wrote in Haaretz. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, sidelined during talks, called for UN intervention to prevent aid blockades. As of Friday morning, the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings remain partially closed, with only 50 aid trucks entering Gaza—far below the 500 daily needed to avert famine, per UN estimates. Over 39,000 Palestinians have died in the war, with Gaza's Health Ministry reporting 1.9 million displaced.
Netanyahu's domestic position hangs in the balance. Facing corruption trials and coalition strains—Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Ben-Gvir opposed the deal over fears of "rewarding terror"—the PM framed the call with Trump as a "vital alignment." Polls show 62% of Israelis support the truce, but approval dips to 45% if it means concessions on security. In Gaza, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, speaking from Qatar, vowed "resistance until liberation," while praising Trump's mediation as a "step forward."
As mediators reconvene in Cairo over the weekend, the world watches a deal born of exhaustion and ambition. For the families still awaiting word—19 Israeli remains unaccounted for, thousands of Palestinian detainees in limbo—the pace feels agonizingly slow. Trump's envoy Witkoff urged patience: "We're close, but trust is earned one body at a time." Whether this truce endures or unravels into renewed conflict may hinge on the rubble-strewn tunnels of Gaza, where the echoes of October 7 linger.
