The U.S. denied this morning that Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement with Israel regarding the return of bodies, attributing the delay to the extensive devastation in Gaza. A senior adviser to President Trump stated that the understanding was focused on the release of all live hostages, which Hamas honored. This statement comes after alerts were activated in Eilat, Israel, at approximately 11:52 AM local time on October 16th, 2025, due to a suspected hostile aircraft intrusion. The IDF and the Home Front Command subsequently declared the incident a false identification and issued an all-clear. The IDF confirmed the details were under investigation before the all-clear was given. Earlier today, the Israeli government stated that Hamas continues to hold the bodies of 21 hostages, a violation of a ceasefire agreement. This followed the IDF's confirmation on October 15th, 2025, of the return of the bodies of Inbar Haiman and Senior Sergeant Major Muhammad el-Atrash, abducted on October 7th, 2023. A U.S. senior adviser noted that Hamas did the right thing by releasing all 20 live hostages simultaneously. The U.S. adviser further explained that recovery efforts only began once the ceasefire took effect and that the amount of debris in Gaza, including unexploded ordnance, makes locating bodies extremely difficult. "It would have been almost impossible for Hamas — even if they knew where all the 28 bodies were — to mobilize and get them all," the adviser said, referencing the phased return of bodies. To aid in locating missing bodies, the U.S. plans to implement a program offering rewards for information from Palestinians and has been in touch with Turkey, which is willing to send experts to help retrieve bodies. However, it remains unclear if Israel will accept Turkish assistance.
