In a dramatic turn of events that underscores the shifting tides of Middle East diplomacy, Egypt has joined the urgent search for the bodies of 13 hostages still missing in Gaza, including two Americans. This move comes as the United States, under President Donald Trump, ramps up pressure on Hamas with a 48-hour ultimatum to return the remains of American casualties—a demand that has reverberated across the region and signaled a new phase in US-Israeli relations.
According to CBN News, the Israeli government has authorized an Egyptian technical team, equipped with heavy machinery but devoid of military personnel, to enter Gaza. Their mission: to assist in the search for the hostages’ bodies. Israeli Government Spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian clarified, “This is a technical team only, and none of these personnel are in the military. The Red Cross and the Egyptian team are allowed entry beyond the IDF’s yellow line position into Gaza territory to conduct the search for our hostages.” Hamas, for its part, has claimed it cannot locate all the bodies, a point of contention that has only intensified international scrutiny.
The stakes have risen sharply since President Trump’s stern warning to Hamas on October 25, 2025. As reported by Piri, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding the return of the bodies of two American hostages and hinting at possible military action if his demands were unmet. Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now, and for some reason, they are not.” He further emphasized his vigilance: “I am following this situation very closely.”
This ultimatum is not an isolated gesture but part of a broader US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect earlier in October. Trump has repeatedly hailed the ceasefire as a historic achievement, expressing hope it will endure and bring lasting peace to a region beset by decades of conflict. However, the return of American casualties has emerged as a sticking point, with Trump warning, “Otherwise other countries involved in this ‘great peace’ will take action.” He also indicated that an international stabilization force could be deployed to Gaza “quite quickly,” though he declined to specify a timeline.
The involvement of Egypt in the search effort is notable, given the country’s longstanding role as a mediator in Israeli-Palestinian affairs. According to CBN News, Israel’s decision to allow the Egyptian team into Gaza demonstrates the gravity of the current situation and the urgency attached to resolving the fate of the missing hostages. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently met with the families of American hostages Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, reinforced the US commitment: “We will not rest until their – and all – remains are returned.” Rubio’s diplomatic shuttle included a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a stopover in Qatar, underscoring the high-level coordination at play.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel retains ultimate authority over its security and the composition of any international presence in Gaza. In a cabinet meeting on October 26, Netanyahu declared, “We have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate. This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days. Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves with our own forces, and we will continue to control our destiny.”
Amid these high-level maneuvers, the human dimension of the crisis remains ever-present. The last five hostages freed two weeks prior to October 26 were released from the hospital and received a hero’s welcome in their communities, according to CBN News. Yet for the families of those still missing, the wait is agonizing—and the international community’s gaze remains fixed on Gaza.
Humanitarian efforts are also ramping up. On October 26, Samaritan’s Purse—a Christian relief organization—sent a Boeing 767 loaded with over 100,000 pounds of life-saving supplies to Gaza. According to Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, “There’s over 200,000 packets of food that have been fortified, enriched with protein, and so forth. It’s a supplemental food, but it helps save lives. You’ve got people, many people, that are on the verge of starvation. This plane is going to be a lifesaver for a lot of people.” The shipment included more than 290,000 sachets of Ready-to-Use Supplemental Food, blankets, and solar lights—critical supplies for a population teetering on the brink.
Beneath these immediate developments lies a deeper, more complex recalibration of US policy in the region. As analyzed by Dr. Ramzy Baroud in Arab News, Trump’s recent statements represent a significant, if controversial, shift. In a Time magazine interview, Trump sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, stating that global opposition had forced Israel to halt what he termed a “genocide against Palestinians.” He reportedly told Netanyahu, “Bibi, you can’t fight the world ... The world’s against you. And Israel is a very small place compared to the world.”
Trump’s warning went further: he made it clear that any move by Israel to annex the West Bank would result in the loss of US support. “The annexation won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries,” Trump insisted. “Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.” Such language is unprecedented in the annals of US-Israeli relations and coincided with provocative votes in the Israeli Knesset to apply Israeli law to the West Bank—moves that US Vice President J.D. Vance, during a visit to Tel Aviv, derided as “a very stupid political stunt.”
Yet, as Dr. Baroud notes, skepticism abounds regarding the depth of this supposed policy shift. Despite the rhetoric, the US has continued to supply Israel with substantial military and economic aid—$3.8 billion annually, with an additional $26 billion approved to sustain Israel’s economy and war efforts. The US-brokered ceasefire, while hailed as a diplomatic victory, is seen by critics as allowing Israel to pursue its objectives by other means. “The US insists on managing the so-called Israeli-Palestinian conflict through its own political priorities, which are fundamentally aligned with Israel’s,” Baroud observes. “By ignoring international law ... Washington ensures that the roadmap to the region’s future ... remains entirely in US-Israeli hands.”
For now, the world waits to see whether Trump’s ultimatum will yield results—or if the cycle of conflict and diplomatic brinkmanship will continue. The coming days will test not only the resolve of Hamas but also the credibility of American leadership and the prospects for a fragile peace in a region that has known little respite.
