Over the past hour, ending at 8:37 PM UTC on October 16th, 2025, the Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Concurrently, Hamas claimed efforts to locate hostages in Khan Yunis, according to Al-Jazeera documentation published by @kaisos1987. These strikes follow an earlier report this evening detailing similar IDF actions and a discussion between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump concerning Hamas's compliance on returning hostages. Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated this evening that "Hamas is violating the agreement!" amid reports of IDF arrests of dozens of terrorists in northern Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously stated on October 16th that Israel knows the exact number of hostages Hamas holds and will act accordingly if they are not returned. Hamas has reportedly handed over two bodies, claiming inability to locate others, leaving 19 hostages unaccounted for, while Israel believes Hamas knows the locations of at least 10 more, according to Ynet. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain had previously warned the White House that they would not proceed with Gaza rebuilding if Hamas retains its weapons. Qatar is also expected to donate over 87,000 tents to Gaza. A U.S.-led coordination center for Gaza's postwar rebuilding was reported to become operational within days, led by a U.S. three-star general with approximately 200 U.S. troops involved in logistics, transport, and security. President Trump reiterated his stance from earlier today, stating, "If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them."
