The IDF confirmed the return of four deceased hostages from Gaza earlier this evening, with their caskets handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in southern Gaza before being transferred to IDF troops and en route to Israel for identification. President Donald Trump, speaking at the Gaza summit in Sharm El Sheikh on October 13th, 2025, stated that Pakistan and India would "live very nicely together," while also asserting that Gaza's reconstruction requires demilitarization and that support for Gaza must not fund "bloodshed, hatred, and terror." The four deceased hostages have been identified by Hamas as Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and IDF officer Captain Daniel Perez. The caskets are being escorted out of the Gaza Strip by troops and will be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv, where identification may take up to two days. A small ceremony led by a military rabbi, including the draping of caskets with Israeli flags and the recitation of psalms, is scheduled to take place before the remains are taken out of Gaza. Footage aired by Al-Araby TV showed the Red Cross convoy heading to the Kissufim Crossing after receiving the remains of the hostages. This development follows previous reports of the Red Cross receiving two cabinets of abducted individuals. NVIDIA CEO Jenson Huang wrote to staff celebrating the release of employee Avinatan Or from Hamas captivity after "two unimaginable years." President Trump's remarks at the summit, which included observing Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the background along with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, touched upon the need for Gaza's reconstruction to be demilitarized. The White House, via its official X account, stated that support for Gaza must focus on uplifting the people without funding violence. Earlier today, the IDF had confirmed the transport of 20 living hostages to hospitals in central Israel. The Doghmush family's Central Council had issued a condemnation of Hamas's "Sahm Unit" for a violent raid on family homes, accusing the militant group of killing civilians and settling internal scores.
