- KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE — OCT. 23, 2025: Recovery operations continued in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Oct. 23, to locate the bodies of Israeli hostages and transfer them to Israel under the ceasefire deal.

During the war, the Hamas movement said that the Israeli army had bombed sites where Israeli captives were being held, resulting in the deaths of several of them under the debris.

Construction machines operated in Khan Younis to dig several meters beneath the surface in search of the remains. However, efforts remain limited due to the lack of equipment in the enclave.

Since Oct. 13, Hamas has released the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of 16 others, leaving 12, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel, however, claims that 13 prisoners remain, alleging that one of the returned bodies did not match any of its missing personnel.

Hamas said it seeks to “close the file” but requires more time, advanced equipment and heavy machinery to locate and retrieve the remaining bodies.

The first phase of the 20-point Gaza ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas earlier this month, based on a plan presented by Trump. Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed over 68,000 people and injured more than 170,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.