Arab mediators are working to reach a new Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that would secure the release of 12 living hostages out of the 24 still believed to be held alive by Hamas in Gaza.
Two back-to-back Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza killed at least nine people on Saturday, according to Gaza civil defense. Witnesses say several of those killed were aid workers and journalists.
Several Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed during this ceasefire deal have been harassed by Israeli forces after their release, their homes raided or their family members arrested.
A Hamas official tells NPR that the United States has held direct talks with the Palestinian militant group over the release of several American-Israeli dual citizens taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
The report is the Israeli military's first official account of mistakes that preceded the 2023 attack, which launched Israel's subsequent war against Hamas in Gaza that killed more than 48,000 Palestinians.
Both sides agreed there would be no Hamas ceremonies for the hostage bodies and in exchange Israel would release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners whose freedom had been held up since Saturday.
Crowds gathered in Israel for the funeral procession of the Bibas family, a mother and two young sons killed while being held hostage in Gaza. The story of their killing has enraged Israelis, and Israeli government representatives were not invited to the funeral.
Israel identified the remains of child hostages but said another body from Hamas was not their mother as claimed. And near Tel Aviv, explosions hit threes buses, but no injuries were reported.
Today's release is the first time Hamas has handed over the bodies of hostages during the war, although several have been recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza and returned to Israel.
After meetings in Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia to push President Trump's plan for Gaza and to meet with Russian counterparts on steps to ending the war in Ukraine.
NPR traveled with Jordan's military on a recent helicopter flight delivering aid to the Gaza Strip, part of a test program since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect last month.
Hamas says it will release three hostages on Saturday, resolving a dispute with Israel that threatened to derail the ceasefire. In exchange, Israel will free dozens of Palestinians from jail.
