To Israel, the return of the remains is paramount to the agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved slashing the number of aid trucks entering Gaza if more bodies were not returned,but after Hamas returned some of the bodies on Tuesday, Israel decided against it. More bodies are expected to be returned Wednesday. A multinational task force will share information on the possible locations of the deceased hostages and conduct search operations.
Truckloads of aid are entering Gaza, but the long-promised surge in deliveries has yet to materialize. Israeli officials say the Rafah border crossing will remain closed until the bodies of all slain hostages are returned. Also, clashes have escalated between Taliban forces and Pakistani troops along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. And, a discussion with an investigative journalist about a financial fraud case linked to Russia.
A piercing chorus of tooting horns and dockers shouting we don't want you greeted an Israeli-owned container ship when it arrived in Livorno, a port city on the coast of Tuscany this week. For two days, the striking dockworkers stood their ground, refusing to unload and reload the ship's cargo in a display of defiant solidarity for Palestinians and the Global Sumud flotilla attempting to bring aid to Gaza. The protest was a triumph and the ship, bound for the US and Canada, left.
President Trump urged Iran-backed Hamas militants to accept a 60-day ceasefire proposal, which will be mediated by officials from Qatar and Egypt.