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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-29 at 00:06
HEADLINES
Gaza Strikes Devastate Sabra and Khan Younis
Hamas recovers hostages’ bodies; Red Cross rebukes
US coordinates to sustain fragile Gaza ceasefire
The time is now 8:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the hour update on the Middle East and related developments.
The Gaza conflict remains volatile, with the ceasefire that was intended to stabilize the situation fragile at best. In the past hours, Israeli forces conducted a new wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in response to an attack on troops in Rafah. Early reports from Gaza’s civil defense authorities indicate casualties in multiple locations, including the Sabra neighborhood south of Gaza City and Khan Younis in the south, with at least nine people killed and several more wounded in the latest rounds of fighting. The pace and scope of these strikes reflect ongoing Israeli concerns about threats from Hamas and other militant groups operating in Gaza, even as a broader ceasefire framework seeks to hold.
On the Hamas side, the group’s military wing has said it retrieved the bodies of two hostages in Gaza, amid ongoing contention over the fate of the remaining captives. The two hostages named in the announcement were Amiram Cooper, aged 86, and Sahar Baruch, aged 25. Israel has not confirmed a handover and continues to accuse Hamas of manipulating information about remains. The Red Cross issued a rare public rebuke of Hamas for staging the recovery of a hostage’s remains, noting that its personnel were present in a neutral capacity and did not anticipate a staged recovery. Israel has urged that the remains of all hostages be returned promptly and handled with dignity, arguing that Hamas possesses substantial access to the remaining bodies and may be using delays to pressure Israel politically.
The current ceasefire remains in place for the moment, but both sides continue to press for what each sees as essential leverage. Israel contends that its responses are narrowly tailored to imminent threats and to violations of the ceasefire by Hamas, including failures to return hostages’ remains. Hamas, for its part, insists that it is committed to the ceasefire and to the return of the hostages’ bodies as quickly as possible, while accusing Israel of ongoing violations. The United States has sought to sustain the ceasefire while signaling readiness to adjust pressure if Hamas does not uphold its commitments, and senior American officials have discussed with Israeli counterparts how best to keep the truce intact while presenting a credible deterrent.
The political dynamic inside Israel reflects a broader debate about how to respond to Hamas’s activities without jeopardizing the ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said the government acted decisively after informing Washington of its plans to strike in Gaza City in response to what it described as Hamas violations. Israel’s actions have been coordinated with American oversight and consultation, though Israeli officials have stressed that Israel remains a sovereign actor when it believes its security requires it. In Washington, US officials have sought to balance support for the ceasefire with counsel against moves that could destabilize the agreement, a tension that has characterized discussions between Israeli and American policymakers in recent days.
Diplomatic and humanitarian dimensions continue to unfold. The Red Cross’s publicly stated concerns about the staging of remains underscores the fragility of humanitarian norms amid a conflict that has drawn intense international scrutiny. On the ground, Gaza’s civil defense network continues to indicate civilian harm from airstrikes, with hospitals and rescue services working to manage casualties and rescue operations amid ongoing fighting in eastern Gaza, Khan Younis, and other urban centers.
Published on 6 days, 10 hours ago