World

Live: Israel threatens Gaza war restart as Hamas searches for bodies

Wednesday, 29 Oct 2025

The remains of 12 deceased Israeli captives are still in Gaza, with Hamas saying locating the bodies in the vast rubble from Israeli bombardment makes the grim task extremely difficult.

Palestinians in Gaza are burying dozens of bodies that Israel returned in exchange for the remains of Israeli captives, with many unrecognisable and displaying signs of torture and mutilation.

More than two weeks after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect, Palestinians are still struggling to find food, clean water, fuel and reliable shelter as Israel continues to curb aid entering Gaza in defiance of an International Court of Justice ruling.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395 since it began in 7 October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and about 200 were taken captive.

The Israeli military said Hamas handed over the body of another deceased captive, as the army’s chief has promised that the war on Gaza will go on until the remains of all abductees are received.

Gaza’s Health Ministry announced it is opening a new office to work on identifying the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians returned by Israel under the ceasefire with Hamas, with many unrecognisable due to decomposition and mistreatment.

Two years of war on Gaza has more than doubled the number of people in the enclave who need mental health care, rising from about 485,000 to more than one million, the World Health Organization said.

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have surged, with 757 incidents recorded in the first half of 2025, 13 percent more than the same period last year, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

The UN and France condemned an Israeli attack near UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon after international soldiers neutralised an “aggressive” Israeli reconnaissance drone.

LIVE: Israel’s PM Netanyahu orders ‘powerful, immediate’ attacks on Gaza

Tuesday, 28 Oct 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to carry out “powerful” attacks in Gaza, his office says.

It comes after Netanyahu alleged Hamas committed a “clear violation” of the ceasefire deal. For its part, Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of committing 125 violations of the ceasefire since it came into effect on October 10, including killing 94 Palestinians.

The sound of explosions and drones continues across Gaza despite the ceasefire: “It’s just a constant reminder of how fragile this ceasefire is,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from Gaza City.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395 since it began in October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and about 200 taken captive.

What led to Israel’s decision to attack Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed his military to immediately break the ceasefire and carry out attacks on Gaza.

The following are today’s events that led to the order:

Reports emerged an hour ago of heavy gunfire and explosions in Rafah, southern Gaza. The circumstances of the fighting remains unclear.

Israel accused Hamas of misidentifying the most recently returned captive’s remains, which were of an abductee whose body was recovered two years ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s deciding on next steps after Hamas returned the remains of a previously recovered captive.

Israel also accused Hamas of “staging” the return of bodies, claiming drone footage shows Hamas moving and reburying  remains for the Red Cross to witness.

Meanwhile, Hamas claimed Israel is obstructing efforts to recover the bodies of deceased Israeli captives, saying it blocked heavy machinery from entering Gaza and prevented search teams – including Red Cross personnel – from accessing key areas.

While the sides traded barbs, Hamas said it would return the body of another Israeli captive at 8pm local time (18:00 GMT) after it was discovered inside a tunnel in Gaza – which was postponed later after Netanyahu’s announcement of an imminent “powerful” strike.

LIVE: Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks rises, despite ceasefire

Wednesday, 15 Oct 2025

The Israeli army continues sporadic attacks on Palestinians despite ceasefire, our team on the ground reports, as health ministry reports more killed in the last day.

Hamas has handed over the bodies of four more Israelis to the Red Cross, bringing the number of released deceased captives to eight. Three bodies have been identified by family, while Israeli army says fourth does not match any recorded captive.

Israel says it will only allow half the agreed number of aid trucks into Gaza and has delayed the opening of the Rafah Crossing, citing the slow release of the dead captives. Some 20 bodies are still in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,938 people and wounded 170,169 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Five Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza despite ceasefire

Tuesday, 14 Oct 2025

Israeli forces have killed five Palestinians in the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City.

US President Donald Trump has promised lasting peace in the Middle East after signing a Gaza ceasefire deal with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye.

Palestinians released from Israeli detention say they were beaten and humiliated, with one former detainee describing Israel’s Ofer Prison as a "slaughterhouse".

Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of a captives and prisoner exchange. Some 154 prisoners were exiled to Egypt. Hamas has also released all 20 surviving Israeli captives held in Gaza and handed over the bodies of four others.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,869 people and wounded 170,105 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Palestinian detainees, Israeli captives freed; Trump in Knesset

Monday, 13 Oct 2025

Release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails begins after Hamas frees all 20 living Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip as part of ceasefire deal.

US President Donald Trump is in Israel, where he has addressed the Knesset before heading to Egypt to co-chair an international summit on the deal.

Palestinians continue to return to what is left of their homes in northern Gaza as desperately needed humanitarian aid begins trickling into the Strip.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,869 people and wounded 170,105 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Israel-Hamas truce holds, Palestinians return to Gaza ruins

Sunday, 12 Oct 2025

Bulldozers begin clearing the rubble in Gaza City after two years of war, as tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians return to devastated towns and cities in northern Gaza.

Preparations are under way for a Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt’s city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with US President Donald Trump expected to attend.

Israel has begun transferring Palestinian prisoners to two jails before their release as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, which will also see the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people and wounded 170,033 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds, Palestinians return to north Gaza ruins

Saturday, 11 Oct 2025

Tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians are returning to devastated towns and cities in northern Gaza as the Israeli military ceases fire and partially withdraws from the territory under the first phase of a peace deal with Hamas.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have said they reject “any foreign guardianship” of the Gaza Strip. Gaza officials have called for an independent, international investigation into war crimes and genocide during Israel’s war.

US President Donald Trump says Israeli captives held in Gaza are due for release on Monday.

UNRWA has called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened, saying that there are 6,000 aid trucks ready to reach Gaza in hours.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people and wounded 170,033 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Israel pulling troops back as displaced families head to north Gaza

Friday, 10 Oct 2025

The Israeli military has started to pull its troops back behind the line agreed under the Gaza deal, prompting the movement of displaced families from the southern parts of the enclave to the north, according to our team on the ground.

Earlier, Israel’s government approved "phase one" of a ceasefire agreement, which will see captives exchanged and Israel withdraw from parts of Gaza, but details of how it fits into a wider plan to bring lasting peace remain unclear.

Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiating team, said the group has received guarantees from the United States and mediators that an agreement on a first phase of the ceasefire agreement means the war in Gaza "has ended completely".

The Israeli government’s ratification of the peace plan, which was confirmed in the early hours of Friday morning, paves the way for fighting in Gaza to stop within 24 hours, while Hamas has been given a 72-hour timeline to free Israeli captives.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,194 people and wounded 169,890 since October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and about 200 were taken captive.

LIVE: Trump says Israel, Hamas agree on ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire

Thursday, 9 Oct 2025

At least 10 Palestinians have been killed and 49 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. One body has also been retrieved from the rubble of previous Israeli attacks, it says.

US President Donald Trump announces the breakthrough in a post on social media, saying Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.

Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, confirmed the development, saying an agreement has been reached on “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” of the first phase of a ceasefire plan.

Hamas said in a public statement that it has concluded an “agreement stipulating an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation’s withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement, adding in a statement: “A great day for Israel”.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,194 people and wounded 169,890 since October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and about 200 were taken captive.

Live: Israel pounds Gaza, killing 70, despite Trump’s call for it to halt bombing

Sunday, 5 Oct 2025
Donald Trump urges Hamas to move quickly to release captives and finalise negotiations over his plan to end the war.

Israel says Gaza City still a ‘combat zone’ after Trump says ‘stop bombing’.

Gaza protests held in Europe, more than 400 arrests made in London.