On Monday, November 10, 2025, Israel returned the remains of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, marking a significant—if somber—step forward in the latest U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The exchange, which followed the release of a hostage's remains by Palestinian militants the previous day, comes as international mediators and top officials scramble to keep the fragile agreement intact and chart a course for Gaza's future governance.
The scene was tense and laden with history. According to the Associated Press, the Red Cross facilitated the handover, raising the total number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza since the start of the agreement to 315. For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians—a ratio emblematic of the deep wounds and complex negotiations at play. Yet, only 91 of those returned have been identified, the Gaza Health Ministry reported, a grim testament to the challenges posed by the lack of DNA testing kits in the besieged enclave. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, has resorted to posting photos of the remains online, hoping that families might recognize their loved ones.
This latest exchange reduced the number of Israeli hostages whose bodies remain in Gaza to just four. The process is painstaking and emotionally charged, with each return representing the closure of one chapter and the opening of many more questions about the future.
Monday’s developments unfolded against the backdrop of high-level diplomatic meetings in Jerusalem. Jared Kushner, senior adviser to former President Donald Trump and a key architect of Washington’s 20-point ceasefire plan, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his confidant Ron Dermer. The photo released by Netanyahu’s office captured the gravity of the talks, which centered on the next, and perhaps most contentious, phase of the ceasefire agreement. Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian, in her daily briefing, said, “Details are continuously being worked out about phase two, as we are still in phase one,” but did not elaborate further.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, 2025, has focused on halting active fighting, securing the release of all hostages, and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza. The second phase, however, remains fraught with uncertainty. According to AP and The Irish News, this next stage calls for the establishment of a governing body for Gaza, the deployment of an international stabilization force, and crucially, the disarmament of Hamas. Where each party stands on these points is still unclear, and the memory of the failed January 2025 ceasefire—derailed after a brief exchange of hostages for prisoners and a subsequent wave of Israeli airstrikes—looms large over the negotiations.
One particularly poignant moment in the latest round of exchanges was Israel’s confirmation on Sunday, November 9, that it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in 2014. Goldin was just 23 when he died, two hours after a ceasefire took effect during that year’s war between Israel and Hamas. His family has waged a public campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains, even marking 4,000 days since his body was taken earlier this year. Israel’s military had long determined his death based on evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. Goldin’s remains were the last in Gaza predating the current war, and their return has closed a painful chapter for his family and the nation.
The human cost of the ongoing conflict remains staggering. As reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday, November 9, 2025, the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 69,176. The Ministry’s records, generally considered reliable by independent experts, are a grim reminder of the war’s toll. Meanwhile, the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of 251 others—an event that set the current war in motion.
While the first phase of the ceasefire has brought some respite, the path forward is anything but clear. Kushner is reportedly leading negotiations to secure safe passage for 150 to 200 trapped Hamas militants, offering them a chance to surrender their weapons in exchange for safe exit after the release of Goldin’s remains. According to sources close to the talks, cited by AP, these negotiations remain sensitive, with Hamas making no public comment regarding exchanges for their fighters, who are currently stuck in the so-called "yellow zone"—territory controlled by Israeli forces, where intermittent clashes continue.
Beyond Gaza, the conflict’s reverberations are being felt in the West Bank. The Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, which gained international attention as the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, is bracing for the imminent arrival of Israeli military bulldozers. Residents say Israel has ordered the demolition of 14 structures, including the community center, greenhouse, and several family homes. A press release from the community warns that demolitions could begin as soon as Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Israel maintains that the structures were built illegally. However, residents argue that securing permits to build in the West Bank is virtually impossible for Palestinians. Data from Bimkom, an Israeli rights group focused on urban planning, supports this claim, noting that between 2016 and 2021, Israel rejected 99% of Palestinian requests for building permits in Area C of the West Bank, where Umm al-Khair is located. The village, founded in the 1950s by Bedouin people displaced from the Negev desert during the 1948 war, has endured decades of hardship. It fell under Israeli security control after the 1967 war, and residents say settler attacks began in the 1980s following the construction of the nearby Carmel settlement.
The violence has not been limited to property. Earlier this year, an Israeli settler shot and killed community leader Awdah Hathaleen inside the very community center now slated for demolition. The killing, described by residents and reported by AP, has left a lasting scar on the village, which continues to face the threat of erasure.
As the ceasefire’s first phase draws to a close and the region stands at yet another crossroads, diplomats, residents, and families on both sides wait anxiously. The fate of hostages, the future of Gaza’s governance, and the survival of communities like Umm al-Khair all hang in the balance, underscoring the complexity and urgency of finding a lasting peace in a land where every negotiation is shadowed by loss and hope alike.
