News Digest — 10/16/25
IDF Receives Two More Bodies From The Red Cross, Hamas Claims To Have Returned All Dead Hostages It Could Find
Hamas transferred two caskets containing the apparent remains of two dead hostages on Wednesday evening (15th), as it claimed to have recovered the bodies of all the deceased captives “that it was able to reach.”
The caskets were collected by the Red Cross from Hamas in Gaza City, then transferred to the IDF troops .
Once in Israel, the caskets were inspected by the army, then draped in Israeli flags and honored in a brief ceremony led by a military rabbi.
Police proceeded to escort them to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv to identify and determine the cause of death, which may take up to two days.
Hamas did not identify the remains, similar to a day earlier, when one of the four bodies was determined to be a Palestinian.
If the two bodies are determined to be hostages, Hamas would still be holding the remains of 18 dead hostages in Gaza.
As the remains were transferred out of Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Wednesday (15th) to resume fighting if Hamas does not honor the truce deal, saying he ordered the military to ready a “plan to crush” the Palestinian terrorist group in the event of renewed combat.
“If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” a statement from Katz’s office said.
But Hamas’ military wing claimed in the lead-up to the handover that it met its obligations under the US-backed ceasefire deal by returning all living hostages to Israel, and the bodies of all the dead captives that it was able to reach.”
“What remains of the bodies of hostages [that were not returned] requires great effort and special equipment to search for, and we are making great efforts to resolve this issue,” it said.
Meanwhile the Axios news site reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Netanyahu, accused Hamas of “slow-walking” the returns while speaking with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Citing US officials, the report added that two senior Israeli officials apparently passed on intelligence to the US showing Hamas has access to more of the bodies than it claims.
“We don’t see Hamas making maximum effort regarding the bodies. We know they can do more and we don’t think anybody should give them any discounts,”one of the officials said, as quoted in the report.
The US official told the news outlet that Washington believes Hamas will eventually return all the bodies, “but it is going to take time.”
“We will continue working on it but we can’t allow the deal to collapse,” the official stressed.
UPDATE: The National Center for Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir confirmed that Inbar Hayman, 27, and Master Sergeant Muhammad al-Atarash, 39, were the two deceased hostages returned to Israel on Wednesday evening (15th), the Prime Minister’s Office stated on Thursday morning (16th).
“The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the families of Hayman and al-Atarash and all the families of the fallen abductees,” the PMO said.
The identification process was conducted through coordination with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate.
US Military Tells Hamas To Stop Violence Against Gazan Civilians – Disarm Without Delay
The US Military ‘s Middle East Command On Wednesday (15th) called on Hamas to stop its violence against civilians in Gaza and disarm “without delay” as the terrorist group asserts itself by deploying security forces and executing those it deems collaborators with Israel.
Hamas, which has not publicly committed to disarming and ceding power, has gradually sent its men back into the streets of Gaza since the ceasefire began on Friday (10th). It has killed more than 30 members of “a gang” in Gaza City, a Palestinian source said on Monday (13th), without identifying the gang involved. Hamas has cited crime and security concerns for its actions as thousands of Palestinians return to the enclave’s shattered north.
“We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Commander Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s CENTCOM, said in a statement.
Cooper asked the terrorist group to fully stand down, “strictly” adhere to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, and put down its weapons without delay.
“We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agree to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gazan civilians,” he said.
Trump’s plan foresees Hamas out of power in a demilitarized Gaza run by a Palestinian committee under international supervision. It calls for the deployment of an international stabilization mission that will train and support a Palestinian police force. Led by CENTCOM, the US is expected to deploy up to 200 troops to Israel to help with stabilization efforts in Gaza. However, no Americans are expected to be deployed into the Palestinian enclave.
Knesset Holds Emergency Session: ‘Enemy Is Arming Itself From Within’
An emergency session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was held Wednesday (15th), focusing on the growing phenomenon of drones being used to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israeli territory.
The discussion was initiated by MK Tzvi Succot, chairman of the Subcommittee on Judea and Samaria Affairs.
The session was convened following MK Succot’s request to committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth, amid a dramatic increase in recent months in the number of smuggling incidents involving hundreds of drones carrying weapons and military equipment from Egypt into Israel.
At the start of the meeting, Succot warned, “The weapons smuggled from the Egyptian border are intended to seize IDF bases in the south. We are witnessing a grave phenomenon that is threatening Israel from within. The enemy is arming itself freely from within the territory of the State of Israel. The quantity of weapons entering this way is being used by terror organizations which are already planning the next October 7. It is inconceivable that the State of Israel should allow such a reality on its borders.”
He added that based on information from security sources and visits to the area, the defense establishment has not formulated an adequate systematic response. He called for the formation of an inter-agency task force involving the Shin Bet, Mossad, IDF, and Israel Police to develop a national plan to counter the threat.
“In the past, we spoke about tunnels underground, today we’re dealing with tunnels in the air,” he said. “These drones cross the border every night, bringing with them weapons meant to harm us. We cannot take this lightly. This is an existential security threat that requires an immediate national response.”
MK Yuli Edelstein said, “This issue is evolving from a security concern to a strategic event. Hamas is currently focused on rebuilding, and this is one of the routes it will use to restore its capabilities. We must see what we can do, before it is too late.”
MK Amit Halevi noted, “We held a discussion on this a year ago, and to this day, we haven’t received answers on what is being done about the threat. There are still no answers. We are talking about a violation of Israeli sovereignty.”
MK Limor Son Har-Melech added, “This is a development creating real threat scenarios. I am very concerned, and even more concerned that we are failing to see the threat for what it is.”
Syrian President To Use Putin Talks To Request Extradition Of Deposed President Bashar Assad, Sources Say
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will use talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to formally request that Moscow hand over Bashar Assad to face trial over alleged crimes against Syrians, two Syrian sources told Reuters on Wednesday (15th).
Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda and who toppled predecessor Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally, late last year, was speaking at the start of Kremlin talks with Putin on his first visit to Russia since coming to power.
Sharaa’s visit was sensitive. Russia had used its military muscle to back Assad for years against Syrian rebels, and Moscow granted asylum to Assad and his family when they fled the country.
The Assads now live discreetly in Moscow, according to Russian media. Russia prides itself on being able to protect its foreign allies and was not likely to hand over Assad to Damascus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday (13th) that Russia had given Assad refuge because his life had been under threat.
Sharaa, who is hoping to secure economic concessions from Russia, including the resumption of wheat supplies on favorable terms and compensation for war damages, was also expected to press for Moscow’s backing to resist Israeli demands for a wider demilitarized zone in southern Syria.
Sharaa told Putin on Wednesday (15th) that he would honor all past deals struck between his country and Moscow, a pledge suggesting Moscow’s two main military bases in Syria are safe.
Syrian officials are also seeking guarantees that Russia will not help rearm remnants of Assad’s forces, a Syrian source said before the talks. Sharaa is hoping that Russia might also help rebuild the Syrian army, the same source said.
Foods Freed Hostages ‘Can’t Look At’ After Years Of Captivity
With the return of the living hostages to Israeli territory on Monday (13th), they were transferred to hospitals throughout central Israel for essential treatment and examinations. Dr. Sigal Frishman, head of the nutrition department at Beilinson Hospital, where five captivity survivors are located, recounts: “We were moved to see that everyone is on his feet, speaking coherently, smiling. Since November, we have gained experience and accumulated knowledge. However, being in captivity for two years is not like 50 days.
“We are providing personal home care for each hostage. We assess the amount of muscle and fat lost. The longer the survivors did not see sunlight, the less vitamin D they produced. As a result, their bones become increasingly deteriorated. They ate only rice and pitas, leaving them with no resources for building muscle. Now, the survivors do not want to see rice, they saw a lot of rice and pitas. Everything stems from a prolonged period of inadequate nutrition. To our understanding, each one went through a different story, and now we will treat them well and properly. In general we knew there would be deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, Iron, B12, and vitamin D,” Dr. Frishman said.
“We have a chef who cooks for the entire hospital. What the survivors receive is really made to order, custom-tailored for every day. We actually consider several things. One is their condition, to what extent they can eat and how freely they can do so. The second thing is really their cravings, their appetite and their needs.”
“We know how to prepare everything – to prepare breakfast like a hotel buffet with: omelets,salads, tahini, good yogurts, good cheeses, really everything. And at lunch, and at holiday meals, or at dinner – meat meals with a variety of fish, chicken and sushi.”
If there is a special craving for something we do not know how to prepare, then we bring it in from a good place, a quality place, and one we know that is clean, which is important. We ensure, within the framework of a perfect kitchen team, warm home-cooked food. The customization is personal, and we are constantly checking cravings, appetite level, and the digestive system. If all this checks out, we will, of course, obtain everything. We do our best to prepare food here, but sometimes we have to bring in meals from outside,” Dr. Frishman concluded.
