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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-17 at 19:05
HEADLINES
Ceasefire holds as Gaza clashes persist
Hostage body handover slated at 23:00
US charges Palestinian over Oct 7 attacks
The time is now 3:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the 3:00 PM update. Developments in the Gaza region and the broader Middle East are shaping an international conversation centered on security, diplomacy, and the human cost of the conflict.
Israel reports the ceasefire pause remains in place, even as military operations continue to address immediate threats. The Israeli Defense Forces say they struck militants emerging from tunnels in Gaza in line with the ceasefire agreement, and they are maintaining deployments around the area to remove any immediate danger. Earlier today, Israeli forces also reported exchanges with militants near the border in the southern Gaza Strip, with no Israeli casualties reported so far. The defense establishment says it will continue to act to neutralize threats as long as the pause holds.
On the hostage issue, Israel and the mediating parties say progress remains fragile and tightly choreographed. One Hamas-affiliated group indicated it will hand over the body of a hostage identified today, at 23:00, as part of ongoing negotiations tied to the broader framework brokered by outside mediators and aligned with a US-led understanding. Israel has repeated its insistence that any such steps must be part of a verifiable and comprehensive arrangement ensuring safety for civilians and accountability for all captives and remains.
In parallel, the security environment inside Israel and along its borders continues to be watched closely. Israeli officials have underscored the importance of maintaining vigilance to prevent renewed aggression from Gaza’s perimeter and across the northern front, while reiterating that the armed forces will respond to threats in accordance with the ceasefire terms.
A notable defendant in the international security conversation comes from the United States. Federal prosecutors in Louisiana announced the arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, a Palestinian national with ties to groups linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks, on charges of assisting a designated terrorist organization and visa fraud. The complaint details his efforts to assemble a group of fighters who crossed into Israel, as well as communications indicating knowledge of and involvement in the broader assault. US authorities say the case reflects ongoing cooperation with Israeli and regional partners to disrupt terrorist networks.
International voices weighed in with support and concern. Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader and recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to express support for Israel’s fight against Iran and for the hostages’ return under the ceasefire framework. Netanyahu congratulated Machado on her Nobel prize and thanked her for promoting democracy and peace. The exchange underscores the varied international calculations around Iran as a regional security threat and the symbolic role of hostage diplomacy in the broader conflict.
Within Hamas, senior officials acknowledge the complexity of any disarmament discussion. They describe disarmament as a process that requires careful definition of what weapons would be handed over and to whom, while reiterating a commitment to Trump-era plans and to a transitional arrangement. The dialogue about weapons remains a central hurdle in any durable settlement.
Gazans themselves returned in large numbers to mosques for post-truce Friday prayers, joining the first days after the ceasefire. While not without damage to infrastructure, the territory’s religious life resumed in the open with the familiar call to prayer audible in Gaza City and beyond, a sign of daily rhythms resuming after months of disruption and depri
Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago