In a week marked by both somber exchanges and continued violence, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement has shown fragile signs of progress, even as the humanitarian and political toll of the conflict remains staggering. On October 31, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transferred the unidentified remains of three people to Israel. According to an Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, these remains had previously been handed over by Hamas in Gaza. However, the remains were still being examined and it was not clear if they belonged to missing hostages, as reported by the Associated Press.
This latest transfer followed a grim exchange the same day: Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinian prisoners to Gaza authorities, completing a deal after militants handed over the remains of two deceased Israeli captives. The Red Cross served as the intermediary for both sides, facilitating the handover of bodies in an atmosphere heavy with grief and uncertainty. The return of the Palestinian bodies was confirmed by medical staff at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where health workers have been struggling to identify the remains, often without the aid of DNA kits or complete records.
Photos from Nasser Hospital showed rows of white body bags, a stark visual reminder of the conflict’s cost. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the total number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel has now reached 225, but only 75 have been identified by families. The ministry’s director, Munir al-Bursh, described the condition of the bodies in a post on X: “Their flesh had melted, their faces erased by fire, leaving behind only bones and teeth.” He added that many of the bodies appeared to have been “torn apart and exhumed.” Some, he said, showed signs of torture—a claim echoed by several Palestinian officials and families, though it remains unverified by independent observers.
It remains unclear whether those returned were killed during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, died in Israeli custody, or were recovered from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. The Israeli military has maintained that all bodies returned so far were those of combatants, though the Associated Press could not independently verify this assertion. Some relatives who have identified the bodies of their loved ones insist they were not fighters, underscoring the confusion and anguish that shrouds these exchanges.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the remains returned by Palestinian militants were those of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both taken hostage during the 2023 attack. Since the start of the ceasefire on October 10, 2025, Hamas has returned the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 others still reportedly in Gaza and set to be turned over under the terms of the agreement.
The handover of bodies is seen by many as a tentative step forward in the implementation of the ceasefire, but it comes against a backdrop of ongoing violence and deep mistrust. Despite Israel’s announcement that it had returned to the ceasefire two days earlier, Israeli warplanes and artillery continued to strike Khan Younis in southern Gaza and neighborhoods of northern Gaza City. According to the Associated Press, more than 100 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza this week alone, following the death of an Israeli soldier.
On October 29, 2025, Israel issued a warning to Hamas fighters through mediators, giving them 24 hours to leave a designated “yellow zone” or face renewed strikes. That deadline passed on October 30, and Israeli officials stated that the military would “enforce the ceasefire and engage Hamas targets behind the yellow line.” Hamas did not publicly respond to the ultimatum.
The violence has not been confined to Gaza. In the West Bank town of Silwad, mourners gathered on October 31 for the funeral of 15-year-old Yamen Hamed, who Palestinian health officials say was shot by an Israeli soldier overnight. The Israeli military described the teen as a “terrorist,” claiming he was holding an explosive, but offered no evidence for the characterization. Ambulance access to the wounded boy was reportedly delayed by troops, and by the time paramedics reached him, he had died. The Associated Press notes that this shooting is part of a broader increase in military killings of Palestinian children in the West Bank since the onset of the war.
Meanwhile, the scale of destruction in Gaza is becoming ever clearer. A United Nations assessment released on October 31 revealed that 81 percent of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged as of early October 2025. This unprecedented level of devastation has left much of the population homeless and the territory’s infrastructure in ruins.
The ceasefire, which began on October 10, 2025, was intended to wind down what has become the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas. The conflict was triggered by the October 2023 attack, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. In the two years since, Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The ministry, staffed by medical professionals, keeps detailed records that are generally regarded as reliable by independent experts, though Israel disputes these figures and has not provided its own tally.
On the diplomatic front, efforts to stabilize Gaza are ongoing. Government officials from eight Arab and Muslim nations are scheduled to meet in Istanbul on November 3, 2025, to discuss next steps for the territory. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the talks would build on previous meetings between regional leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump, and are part of a broader plan to establish an international stabilization force for Gaza.
The human cost of the conflict remains front and center for many. On October 31, a small crowd of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, praying for the return of the dead hostages still in Gaza. “We cannot give up until everybody, all the bodies, will be here,” said Rimona Velner, a Tel Aviv resident. “It’s very important to the families and for us ... to close this circle.”
As exchanges continue and international efforts ramp up, the people of Gaza and Israel remain caught in a cycle of loss and uncertainty. The painstaking process of identifying bodies, the devastation wrought on neighborhoods, and the ongoing risk of renewed violence all serve as stark reminders that, for now, the road to peace is fraught with obstacles. The next steps—both diplomatic and humanitarian—will be closely watched by a world eager for signs that this long and bloody conflict might finally be winding down.
