Hamas has said two more bodies of Israeli hostages will be returned tonight. Earlier, Gaza’s health ministry confirmed it has received more bodies of Palestinians. Follow the latest.
Wednesday 15 October 2025 19:53, UK
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Donald Trump said he would consider allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas refuses to uphold its end of the ceasefire deal, telling CNN that Israeli forces could return to the streets “as soon as I say the word”.
“What’s going on with Hamas – that’ll be straightened out quickly,” the US president said in a telephone call.
Asked what happens if Hamas refuses to disarm, Trump said he’d “think about it”.
“Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word,” he said. “If Israel could go in and knock the crap of them, they’d do that.”
“I had to hold them back,” he said of the Israel Defence Forces and Netanyahu administration. “I had it out with Bibi.”
His comments come as Israel is accusing Hamas of not abiding by the agreement that it hand over hostages, living and dead, as part of a deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
Trump also told CNN that Hamas is “going in and clearing out the gangs, violent gangs” in Gaza.
“I’m doing research on it,” he said when asked if it was possible that Hamas was executing innocent Palestinians. “We’ll find out about it. It could be gangs plus.”
Israel’s military says, meanwhile, that the Red Cross is on the way to the meeting point in Gaza to receive the bodies of the dead hostages that are supposed to be handed over at about 8pm UK time.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is also helping to facilitate the latest handover, as during previous hostage releases.
Hamas has put out another statement just now, saying they need extra equipment to return all the remaining hostages’ bodies.
“The resistance has complied with the agreement and handed over all of its living prisoners and any bodies it could reach,” the statement reads.
“The remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialised equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file.”
So far, Hamas has returned seven of the remaining 28 bodies, according to Israel’s tally, with two more expected to be handed over in about half an hour.
Initially, the remains of the dead hostages were supposed to have been returned by Monday under the ceasefire agreement.
Israel has called the speed of Hamas’s delivery a breach of the agreement. It said yesterday that the Rafah crossing would remain closed and aid flow into Gaza would be reduced due to Hamas’s failure to hand over all the bodies.
Despite the return of the remaining living hostages, the Israeli prime minister remains under intense pressure.
He presides over an unruly coalition, faces an election while he is scrutinised over his handling of the October 7 attacks and he has to contend with a corruption trial.
Sky News chief presenter Mark Austin discussed Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future with Shalom Lipner, a former adviser to seven consecutive Israeli prime ministers.
There are “a lot of challenges” in store for the famously resilient “master politician”, says Lipner – he even sees a scenario in which Donald Trump could try to push Netanyahu aside.
Watch Lipner give his insight in the video below…
Our lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim and NBC’s Richard Engel are in Tel Aviv to debrief on a momentous day for the Middle East and discuss whether civil war may be about to break out in Gaza.
Hakim was the first journalist to speak to Hamas after the ceasefire was announced, and asked if the group is ready to disarm and leave government.
She unpacks her interview in this episode.
The pair also give their assessments on if the peace will last and why the hardest part of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan is yet to come.
Listen to the full episode here…
👉Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim on your podcast app👈
Hamas’s armed wing has just put out a statement that it has decided to hand over the bodies of two more Israeli hostages tonight.
The group said it will take place at 10pm local time (8pm in the UK).
Earlier, reports in Israeli media indicated Hamas was expected to hand over more dead hostages tonight.
Four were released on Monday, with another four yesterday – but Israel said one of those doesn’t match any of the hostages.
That means out of 28 bodies that were believed to be in Gaza, the remains of 19 are still to be released, after the next two are transferred, according to Israel’s tally.
The funeral for hostage Daniel Peretz is currently under way in Jerusalem.
Peretz had been among the first four bodies to be returned to Israel under the ceasefire agreement on Monday.
He was an army captain, originally from South Africa, who was killed in the October 7 attacks.
Peretz is being laid to rest on Mount Herzl, Israel’s national cemetary. It is believed to be the second funeral of any of the deceased hostages who have been returned since Monday.
Ela Haimi, widow of dead hostage Tal Haimi, joined Sky News chief presenter Mark Austin tonight to discuss the ongoing release of the hostages’ bodies.
Her husband is among the 21 bodies still to be handed over by Hamas, as the returns process drags on longer than planned under the ceasefire agreement.
“I’m very tense and I’m waiting,” Haimi said, who gave birth to her husband’s baby after he was killed in the October 7 attacks.
She said the current situation of aggravated media attention while she’s waiting for progress on her husband’s return “feels like in a reality show – but the reality is my life”.
She said: “Every morning my kids are asking me, did their father a comeback, and I’m telling them, no, not yet, maybe tomorrow it’s so hard for them.”
Haimi fears her husband’s body may never be returned – watch her interview below…
The Swedish activist has shared details of the five days she spent in Israeli captivity after the military intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla that she had joined.
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, published today, Thunberg said she was “hit and kicked” by soldiers upon arrival in Israel.
“They ripped off my frog hat, threw it on the ground, stomped and kicked it, and kind of threw a tantrum,” Thunberg said, adding soldiers were taking pictures with her.
Some activists were later held in outdoor cages despite the heat, causing some of them to faint, she said. Thunberg also accused the guards of refusing them water and depriving prisoners of sleep.
She said previous reports that she was draped in an Israel flag were true. The interview includes images of Thunberg’s suitcases with the words ‘Whore Greta’ written on it, next to drawings of an Israeli flag and male genitalia, which she attributes to Israeli guards.
Thunberg had previously alleged she was tortured (which the Israeli government denies) but said she didn’t want to share details for now so as not divert attention from Gaza.
The Global Sumud Flotilla had carried aid for the territory, aiming to raise attention to Israel’s maritime blockade.
Israeli troops intercepted it before it reached the coast, arresting some 450 activists.
Watch the moment Thunberg was arrested on board the Global Sumud Flotilla…
An inter-Arab security force should be set up in Gaza within weeks to prevent Hamas from retaking control, Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Barak has told Sky News.
Asked by Sky News chief presenter Mark Austin if intervention was necessary to prevent Hamas from filling the current power vacuum in the territory, the 83-year-old said he believed a force was needed, but it should not be international.
“An inter-Arab force should be there in a few weeks, not several months,” he said, warning the militant group’s readiness to give up its arms will decrease over time.
Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001, also said the “only condition for success” in the ceasefire plan for Gaza was the “determination” of Donald Trump.
He said there were concerns the US president “might lose his attention to the issue” and his plan to bring the war to a conclusion “will take time”.
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