Likud mayoral elections have been officially scheduled for November 25, with no expected challenges to Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report from Dafna Liel. Meanwhile, in Gaza, a social media post shared two days ago described "1st day in Gaza without war" as Gazan youth visited al-Danaf Hyper Mall in Nuseirat, Central Gaza Strip, and observed new products, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The user, posting with the hashtag #TheGazaYouDontSee, characterized Gaza as the "fastest developing country in the world." These developments follow a period of significant activity. Over the past hour, reports indicated that Israel stated the fourth body handed over by Hamas overnight was not an Israeli hostage but identified as a Palestinian resident of Jericho. Senior Israeli officials reiterated that negotiations had not advanced to Stage B, emphasizing the necessity of completing Step A, the return of all bodies. Turkey had previously dispatched 81 search and rescue personnel to Gaza to assist in locating bodies, while the Rafah Crossing remained closed. Earlier today, CNN reported that 45 Palestinian bodies returned by Israel to Gaza showed signs of abuse, including cuffed hands and legs, gunshot wounds, and evidence of being run over by tanks. Nasser Hospital officials in Khan Younis stated the bodies were transferred tagged with numbers and have yet to be identified. This follows previous reports that one of the four bodies returned by Hamas overnight was confirmed by the IDF not to be an Israeli hostage but a Gazan individual. Previous reports from October 15th, 2025, between 10:06 AM and 11:06 AM UTC, detailed Israeli forces arresting 15 Palestinians in Nassar, northeast of Rafah, and reported two fatalities in Shuja'iyyeh, Gaza City, during an IDF assault. The IDF also announced the reopening of Zikim Beach near the northern Gaza Strip border to the public starting October 16th, 2025, a decision approved by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
