Israel awakes to a bittersweet morning of returns and loss
Recent incidents between Israel and Hamas have proven just how fragile the ceasefire remains.
Today, Monday, Israel wakes to a bittersweet truth. Every living hostage is home. Too many families, however, welcomed only a coffin. In the past day, Hamas returned additional remains, and the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed through the Red Cross that “Israel has received… the bodies of two hostages.”
The war did not end with the last helicopter landing. Our soldiers are still in harm’s way, and our civilians remain under threat.
Overnight, the IDF reported that Palestinian terrorists in the Rafah area fired on Israeli troops and vowed to “take firm action” in response. A subsequent update said the attackers “fired RPGs and carried out sniper fire” at forces operating there. Independent reporting described Israeli strikes in southern Gaza after militants “attacked Israeli troops with an RPG,” underscoring how fragile the truce remains.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s armed forces to respond with force against Gazan terror targets before later ordering the closure of all Gaza crossings and the halting of all aid into the Strip. The decision comes after an IDF announcement of strikes against Hamas in Rafah after the terror group fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward Israeli soldiers.
Netanyahu’s initial order that Israel respond forcefully came during a consultation with Defense Minister Israel Katz and the heads of Israel’s security establishment, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Family and friends mourn at the funeral of Uriel Baruch, in Jerusalem on October 19, 2025. Baruch was taken hostage by Hamas into Gaza on October 7 and murdered in captivity. Hamas released his body to Israel a few days ago. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
This is the moment to be clear about first principles. The deal that brought our people home also requires Hamas to deliver the deceased it can access. It has not. Recent tallies said the latest handover “brings the count of returned bodies to 12,” with “another 16… still to be returned,” and that “all 28 were supposed to have been handed over by last Monday.”
Hamas has told mediators it needs specialist recovery equipment to reach others under the ruins, but that does not erase its obligation to complete what it promised. A promise is a promise. Keep it.
US envoys arrive at inflection point
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff: your visit arrives at an inflection point. Help transform the current outline into enforceable steps with dates, verification, and consequences. Press for third-party monitoring of handovers, coordinated access for recovery teams, and a clear matrix that links continued relief to measurable compliance.
Urge the mediators to treat delays as violations, not as atmospherics. Encourage both sides to keep humanitarian channels open when the guns fall silent and when they do not. The goal is simple and absolutely non-negotiable. Finish the first chapter of this deal before you write the second.
Israel, for its part, must continue treating the fallen with dignity and transparency. The most recent remains were transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification. This careful, professional process gives families the truth they deserve.
At the same time, the state must protect its troops and civilians when attacked. The government has instructed the IDF to respond firmly to violations while upholding the ceasefire architecture. This is not belligerence; it is the minimum duty of a state to its soldiers.
A second journey begins
Families of the fallen are now beginning a second journey, one measured in identification updates, funerals, and empty chairs. The state owes them clarity about timelines and respect in its language. That means candid briefings on the painstaking forensic work, timely notification before any public statements, and resources for mourning that do not vanish after the first week.
It also means national solidarity that resists the urge to turn pain into politics. The return of remains is not a public relations milestone. It is a covenant with citizens who entrusted their children to the country and deserve truth, dignity, presence, and accountability.
There is also a broader context that matters. Even as bodies are exchanged, each side accuses the other of testing the truce. Hamas’s line today was to blame Israel for “violations,” while acknowledging that more bodies were being handed over. The facts remain stark. Twenty living Israelis came home. Not all the deceased have. Both can be true, and both demand action.
The moral horizon has not changed since October 7. Kidnapping civilians was a crime. Holding them for two years compounded it. Withholding prolongs the cruelty. Israel is right to insist on the return of every person, alive or deceased. The deal created a path. Stay on it. Finish it. Bring them all back.
