On November 25, 2025, a solemn and highly charged exchange unfolded in Gaza as Israel received a coffin believed to contain the remains of one of its citizens held hostage by Palestinian militants. The transfer, facilitated by the Red Cross, marks the latest chapter in a fraught ceasefire process that has seen both sides accuse each other of violations, even as families on both sides wait anxiously for closure.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the coffin was handed over to Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers inside Gaza and then transported to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification. The remains are thought to be those of one of the three remaining deceased captives still unaccounted for in the besieged enclave. "Upon completion of the identification process, formal notification will be delivered to the family," Netanyahu’s office stated, as reported by BBC and Al Jazeera.
The return of the remains is part of a United States-brokered ceasefire plan that took effect on October 10, 2025. Under this agreement, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups agreed to return the bodies of 28 Israeli and foreign hostages—alongside 20 living hostages—within 72 hours. In exchange, Israel committed to releasing the bodies of 360 Palestinians killed during the war. So far, 22 deceased Israeli hostages and three foreign hostages (one Thai, one Nepalese, and one Tanzanian) have been returned, while Israel has handed over the bodies of 330 Palestinians. The deal stipulates a further exchange to reach the agreed numbers, but delays and difficulties have hampered progress.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) announced that the body of an Israeli hostage had been found in central Gaza on November 24, 2025. The following day, the remains were handed over to the Red Cross and subsequently to Israeli authorities. The families of the three dead hostages were updated accordingly, with Netanyahu’s office expressing, "Our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned."
The process, however, has been anything but smooth. Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately stalling the return of the remaining bodies, a charge Hamas denies. According to Los Angeles Times, Hamas maintains that the remains are buried under rubble from more than two years of intensive Israeli military operations, making recovery efforts perilous and slow. The Israeli government, for its part, has warned that delays constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement. "Israel has almost completely cut off Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the outside world," said Daniel Shenhar, an attorney with the Israeli human rights group HaMoked, highlighting the broader climate of suspicion and accusation.
The fragile ceasefire, now in its sixth week, has been marred by repeated allegations of violations. Gaza’s Government Media Office claims Israel has breached the truce at least 497 times since October 10, with children, women, and the elderly accounting for the majority of victims. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that, on November 25, Israeli forces killed three people east of Khan Younis in the south, and 14 more bodies were recovered from the rubble over the previous 24 hours. This brings the death toll to 345 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, the ministry said. Meanwhile, Israel’s military reported killing five Hamas fighters emerging from a tunnel in Rafah and another who crossed into an Israeli-held part of northern Gaza.
The war itself was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of over 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive military campaign in Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed more than 69,770 people. The ministry’s figures, which do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, are widely considered reliable by independent experts, and they indicate that women and children make up the majority of those killed.
Amidst the violence and political maneuvering, ordinary Gazans face a worsening humanitarian crisis. Heavy winter rains have displaced thousands, compounding the suffering of the roughly 2 million people already uprooted by the conflict. Aid agencies report persistent shortages of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies—essential deliveries that Israel continues to restrict, despite the terms of the ceasefire. The Catholic charity Caritas recently unveiled Pope Francis’ former popemobile, repurposed as a mobile health clinic, which is set to be sent to Gaza to help care for children. "This vehicle stands as a testament. The world has not forgotten the children of Gaza," said Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the bishop of Stockholm, as reported by the Associated Press.
As the fragile truce teeters on the edge, diplomatic efforts to stabilize the region continue. Egyptian state-affiliated al-Qahera News TV reported that Cairo hosted a follow-up meeting for mediators and guarantors of the ceasefire deal. Attendees included Egypt’s head of intelligence, the Qatari prime minister, and the head of Turkish intelligence. Discussions focused on implementing U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for post-war Gaza, which outlines a transitional governing authority, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction efforts. The plan also envisions a multinational security force to help maintain order and facilitate rebuilding.
Indonesia has signaled its readiness to play a leading role in the peacekeeping mission. On Tuesday, officials announced that the country was preparing to deploy up to 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza, pending an official order from President Prabowo Subianto. General Agus Subianto, chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, detailed plans for a brigade comprising health, engineering, and mechanized support battalions, as well as the deployment of hospital warships, a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, and a helicopter. "The final deployment will await an official order from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who has said his country was ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza at any time," according to Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.
Despite these international efforts, progress on the second phase of the U.S.-brokered peace plan has stalled. The envisioned steps—governance, Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and large-scale reconstruction—remain elusive as both sides trade accusations and struggle to fulfill the terms of the initial agreement.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations within Israel have stepped up their advocacy for Palestinian detainees. HaMoked, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel filed a petition to Israel’s high court, demanding the resumption of family visits for Palestinian prisoners—a practice suspended since the start of the war. Rights groups allege that systematic violence and denial of medical care have contributed to a surge in deaths among prisoners, and that the prison population has doubled since the war began.
As the region waits for the identification of the most recently returned remains and for the next steps in the peace process, the human toll of the conflict remains heartbreakingly clear. Families on both sides continue to grieve and hope, while the international community scrambles to prevent the fragile ceasefire from unraveling completely.
With so many lives disrupted and so much at stake, the struggle for peace and justice in Gaza is far from over. Each exchange, each negotiation, and each act of humanitarian relief is a reminder that, for those caught in the crossfire, the search for closure and a lasting resolution is as urgent as ever.
