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Hundreds gathered in Jerusalem for the military funeral of Capt. Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American soldier whose body was recently returned from Gaza under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Neutra, 21, was killed and abducted by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the ongoing war. His remains arrived in Israel on Sunday, alongside those of two other soldiers. Speaking at the ceremony, Neutra’s father, Ronen, remembered his son’s smile and voice, expressing relief at finally having a place to mourn him. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog also eulogized Neutra, calling him “a hero of two nations.” His mother, Orna Neutra, addressed the coffin, emphasizing the gap left by her son and the mission to honor his memory through light and goodness. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Neutra moved to Israel to serve in the military as a volunteer. Following his abduction, his parents traveled repeatedly to Washington, protested in both countries, and spoke at the U.S. Republican National Convention. For over a year, they held hope he was alive before being informed by military intelligence of his death. As part of the ceasefire, six hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza, while 22 bodies have been returned since last month, and 20 living hostages were released on Oct. 13. Israel has transferred 285 Palestinian bodies to Gaza under the agreement, which prioritizes the return of all hostages’ remains. Meanwhile, violence continues in the West Bank. Israeli troops have shot and killed three Palestinian teenagers, ages 15 and 16, and withheld their bodies. Palestinian authorities and human rights groups report that at least 54 Palestinian children’s bodies have been held by Israeli forces since June 2016. The killings reflect a broader escalation of military operations and settler violence in the West Bank following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The U.N. reports 42 Palestinian children under 18 killed by Israeli forces this year, with October marking the highest monthly number of settler attacks on Palestinians and their property since 2006. Palestinians continue to seek the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza as part of a future independent state.

Gaza hospital officials said Wednesday they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians returned by Israel, raising the total number of Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire to 285. The handover comes a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza returned the body of an Israeli soldier captured during the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Under the ceasefire that began on October 10, Hamas has returned the remains of 21 Israeli hostages, with all living hostages now released. Gaza militants have been handing over one to three bodies every few days, with Israel urging faster returns. Each Israeli hostage returned has prompted Israel to release the remains of 15 Palestinians, though fewer than half have been identified. Forensic identification in Gaza is challenging due to a shortage of DNA testing kits, and the Health Ministry posts photos online to help families recognize their loved ones. The war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and left 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive that, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, has killed over 68,800 Palestinians, including civilians and combatants. Israel disputes these figures and has denied accusations of committing genocide in Gaza.  

The United States has circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution proposing the establishment of an international stabilization force in Gaza for at least two years, as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Two U.S. officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the draft, shared Tuesday afternoon, serves as an initial framework for negotiations among the 15 Security Council members and other partners. They said discussions are ongoing and the text is being revised based on feedback. Arab and other nations considering participation have reportedly insisted that the mission must have U.N. authorization before they commit troops. “Whatever entity is created in Gaza should have the legitimacy of a mandate from the Security Council,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Doha. The proposed resolution calls for the stabilization force to help “demilitarize the Gaza Strip” and oversee “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” The force would operate until the end of 2027 and work alongside a proposed “Board of Peace,” which would temporarily govern the territory. It also envisions cooperation with Egypt and Israel, and coordination with a trained Palestinian police force to secure border areas and aid delivery routes. The draft stresses the need for the “full resumption” of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, while ensuring supplies are not diverted. Displaced Palestinians find shelter among graves in Gaza cemeteries China and Russia, both permanent council members, are expected to be the main obstacles as the U.S. seeks to pass the resolution without a veto. U.K. Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer told the AP that London’s priority is to maintain the fragile ceasefire and expand humanitarian access, adding that any Gaza stabilization force should be “underpinned by a Security Council mandate.” Axios first reported on the draft proposal.

Israel handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Monday, the Red Cross said, a day after militants returned the remains of three hostages. Israeli officials identified the three as soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the war in Gaza. The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous, U.S.-brokered ceasefire intended to end the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas. Since the truce took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 20 hostages, with eight now remaining in Gaza. For each hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. With Monday's return, the bodies of 270 Palestinians have been handed back since the start of the ceasefire. Slow identification process in Gaza The Red Cross said it had facilitated the transfer of 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday morning. Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the Gaza Health Ministry, told The Associated Press that Nasser Hospital received the bodies around noon. Only 78 of the bodies returned so far have been identified, the ministry said. Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza, it added. The ministry posts photos of the remains online, in the hope that families will recognize them. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office identified the three hostages, whose bodies were returned to Israel on Sunday night, as Capt. Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel and Col. Assaf Hamami. A Hamas statement earlier said their remains were found on Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza. Neutra was 21 when Hamas militants abducted his tank crew during the 2023 attack. In December 2024, the military announced Neutra had been killed in the attack. Daniel, 19, was part of the tank crew and was taken into Gaza. Nimrod Cohen, who was also in the tank, was released alive earlier, as was the body of one of the other crew members. U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he had spoken with Neutra's family. “They were thrilled, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” Trump said. Hamami, commander of Israel’s southern brigade in the Gaza division, was killed during the 2023 attack while fighting to defend Kibbutz Nirim and his body was taken into the Palestinian territory. Militants have released one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation. Arrests of 2 ex-military figures rock Israel A political scandal continued to rock Israel involving the military's former legal chief, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who admitted to leaking a video of Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee and resigned from office. Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, said Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested Sunday night. At a court hearing Monday, the judge extended her detention by 48 hours until Wednesday, according to a copy of the decision. It said she is being held on suspicion of offenses including fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice. The investigation continues while she is held in a women’s prison in central Israel. Police conducted a frantic search for Tomer-Yerushalmi on Sunday after her family raised concerns about her safety and police found her abandoned car near the beach in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. Police said she was found soon after the search began. Israeli media reported that former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was also arrested overnight and his detention was also extended. The Palestinian detainee who was the subject of sexual abuse in the video leaked by Tomer-Yerushalmi last year was released and returned to Gaza on Oct. 13, according to documentation from the military prosecutor's office obtained by the AP. 2 Palestinians killed in the West Bank Two Palestinians, one of them a teenager, were killed by Israeli gunfire Sunday night in separate incidents in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah. Jamil Hanani, 17, was killed in the town of Beit Furik, the ministry said Monday. Israel’s military said soldiers opened fire at Palestinians hurling rocks, hitting one person. Hanani’s death extends a surge in military killings of Palestinian youth in the West Bank during an upswing in violence since the start of the war. Also Sunday, Ahmed Al-Atrash, 32, was fatally shot by an Israeli settler at an entrance to the city of Hebron, the ministry said. Israel’s military referred the AP to the police, who did not immediately comment. Hundreds of hard-line settlers live in fortified enclaves under military protection in the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians. Efforts to ramp up Gaza aid and a vaccination campaign U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will be in Jordan on Monday, with plans to visit a warehouse where British aid remains stuck waiting to enter Gaza. Ahead of the visit, Cooper said that “humanitarian support is desperately needed and the people of Gaza cannot afford to wait.” “Following the U.S.-led peace process and the plans for a substantial increase in aid for Gaza, we need an increase in crossings, an acceleration in lifting of restrictions and more agencies able to go in with aid,” Cooper said. Cooper also announced that Britain will provide an extra 6 million pounds ($7.9 million) of humanitarian support for Gaza, provided by the U.N. Population Fund. Also Monday, Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that a campaign to vaccinate some 40,000 Palestinian children under 3 years old against preventable diseases like measles, polio and meningitis will kick off next week. It will focus on children who missed routine vaccinations or received only partial doses due to the war, Dr. Nedal Ghoneim, the Health Ministry’s public health manager, told the AP. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel two years ago killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts. Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.  

The Iranian capital is on the brink of a severe water shortage, with authorities warning that its main reservoir could run dry within two weeks amid the country’s worst drought in decades. Behzad Parsa, head of Tehran’s water company, told the state-run IRNA news agency on Sunday that the Amir Kabir Dam — one of five supplying drinking water to the city — now holds only 14 million cubic metres of water, just eight percent of its capacity. At the current rate of consumption, he cautioned, the dam can continue to provide water for only two more weeks. Rainfall in Tehran province has seen an unprecedented collapse, with a “100 percent drop in precipitation” compared to last year, officials said. The megacity of over 10 million people depends heavily on water from rivers flowing down the Alborz Mountains, whose snowmelt traditionally replenishes its reservoirs. Parsa noted that the Amir Kabir Dam held 86 million cubic metres of water a year ago, highlighting the dramatic decline. He, however, did not disclose the condition of the other dams serving the capital. Tehran’s residents consume about three million cubic metres of water daily, according to Iranian media. In an attempt to conserve supplies, water flow to several neighbourhoods has already been restricted, and frequent outages have been reported since the summer. Earlier in July and August, the government declared two public holidays to reduce water and energy consumption, as a prolonged heatwave pushed temperatures beyond 40°C in Tehran and above 50°C in some regions. With input from Al Jazeera  

In war-torn Gaza, some displaced Palestinians have found no refuge but the cemeteries — living among the dead in makeshift tents between gravestones. For five months, Maisa Brikah and her children have been living in a sun-scorched cemetery in the southern city of Khan Younis, where around 30 families have taken shelter. Gravestones now serve as tables and seats, and tents stand amid rows of tombs. During the day, children play in the sand, but nights bring fear.“When the sun goes down, the children get scared,” Brikah said. “They’re afraid of the dogs at night — and of the dead.” Nearly all of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents have been displaced during the two-year war between Hamas and Israel. With a ceasefire in effect since October 10, some have returned to the ruins of their homes, while others remain crowded into areas outside Israeli control. In this cemetery, signs of life persist: a prayer rug flutters on a line, smoke rises from a small fire, and a child pushes a water jug on a wheelchair between the graves. Brikah said her home in Khan Younis was destroyed and Israeli forces now occupy the neighborhood, leaving her family with nowhere else to go. Her nearest “neighbor” is Ahmad Abu Said, who died in 1991 at age 18, according to his tombstone inscribed with Quranic verses. Other families here fled from northern Gaza, far from the burial sites of their own relatives. “I’m a grown man, but I still get scared of the graves at night,” said Mohammed Shmah, who has lived in the cemetery for three months after his house was destroyed. “I hide in my tent.” He said he had only 200 shekels (about $60) left when a friend helped move his family to the cemetery. Israel says remains returned from Gaza not of any hostages His wife, Hanan Shmah, said the lack of money keeps them there. “Of course, life in the cemetery is full of fear, dread, and sleepless nights,” she said while washing dishes with precious water in a small basin. Even among the dead, there is no safety. The United Nations and other observers have reported Israeli strikes on cemeteries during the war. Israel has accused Hamas of using some burial grounds for cover, claiming such sites lose protection when used for military purposes. As the fighting intensified, many bodies were buried in hospital courtyards and open fields. Traditional burials near family graves became impossible. Now, with the ceasefire, families search for loved ones lost to the rubble. Palestinian health officials say the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 68,800 — a number that continues to rise as more bodies are recovered. In Khan Younis, new graves keep appearing in the cemetery where the displaced now live — simple mounds of sand marked by stones. “After the ceasefire, my life is the same inside the cemetery,” said Shmah. “I gained nothing.” Source: AP

Egypt on Saturday officially inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the pyramids and the Sphinx, marking a landmark cultural achievement after nearly two decades of construction. The museum, the world’s largest dedicated to a single civilization, was unveiled at a grand ceremony attended by 79 delegations, including heads of state, royal family members, and government officials. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hailed the opening as “a living testament to the genius of the Egyptian people,” calling the GEM a symbol of Egypt’s enduring legacy as builders of civilization, creators of glory, and messengers of peace. He described the museum’s inauguration as “writing a new chapter in the history of the present and the future.” Spanning nearly 500,000 square meters, the GEM will house over 100,000 artifacts covering thousands of years of Egyptian history. Its centerpiece is the complete collection of the boy-king Tutankhamun — some 5,992 pieces, including his iconic golden mask and two coffins — displayed together for the first time since the discovery of his tomb in 1922. The museum occupies a strategic site on the Giza Plateau, offering panoramic views of the ancient pyramids and creating a direct link between Egypt’s ancient wonders and the new cultural landmark. The inauguration featured a range of cultural events, including musical performances, light shows, and fireworks, celebrating the country’s rich heritage. Officials said the GEM is expected to be a major boost for Egypt’s tourism sector, attracting large numbers of visitors and significantly increasing tourism revenue. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the museum will “completely change the map of cultural tourism in Egypt and significantly aid the tourism industry.” GEM CEO Ahmed Ghoneim described the facility as “Egypt’s gift to the world,” highlighting how it combines heritage with modern exhibition techniques to enhance the visitor experience. Construction of the museum began in 2005 but faced delays due to political instability and funding challenges. Now complete, the GEM blends contemporary architecture with design elements inspired by ancient Egypt, featuring spacious halls and state-of-the-art display technologies. The museum is scheduled to open to the public on November 4. Source: Xinhua

The U.S. special envoy for Syria on Saturday described Lebanon as “a failed state,” highlighting Washington’s growing frustration with Beirut’s deadlocked leadership even as Syria edges toward cooperation with the United States. Speaking at the Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain during a session on “U.S. Policy in the Levant,” envoy Thomas Barrack praised developments in Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad in December. He confirmed that Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is scheduled to visit Washington on November 10 — the first trip by a Syrian head of state since the country’s independence in 1946. Barrack said Syria is expected to join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group, calling it “a big step” and “remarkable.” The coalition, comprising about 80 nations, aims to prevent any resurgence of IS. Turning to Lebanon, Barrack said it was “the only state in the region not jumping in line” with shifting Middle Eastern alliances. “The state is Hezbollah,” he remarked, arguing that the Iran-backed group provides social and financial support where the Lebanese government has failed to deliver basic services like power and water. “It is really up to the Lebanese,” Barrack added. “America is not going to get deeper involved in the situation with a foreign terrorist organization and a failed state dictating the pace and asking for more resources, more money and more help.” He also said the U.S. would stay out of regional conflicts but “support its ally if Israel becomes more aggressive toward Lebanon.” Israel airstrikes in southern Lebanon kill 1, wound 7 Israel has recently stepped up strikes on southern Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of breaching a ceasefire agreed last November that ended their latest war. The hostilities began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. Hezbollah responded by firing rockets into northern Israel, triggering Israeli airstrikes that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September 2024. Although a ceasefire was reached, Israel continues daily air raids on southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah positions and weapon depots. Lebanese officials accuse Israel of bombing civilian areas and vital infrastructure, urging respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty. Barrack said Israel’s continued bombing stems from “thousands of rockets and missiles” still hidden in the area. Yet, he admitted it was “not reasonable for us to tell Lebanon to forcibly disarm one of its political parties — everybody is scared to death to go into a civil war.” “The path is very clear — it needs to go through Jerusalem or Tel Aviv for a conversation along with Syria. Syria is showing the way,” Barrack said, noting that Syria and Israel are expected to hold their fifth round of de-escalation talks soon. Washington is currently mediating direct negotiations between Syria and Israel to revive the 1974 ceasefire agreement that established a demilitarized buffer zone between their forces under U.N. supervision. Netanyahu signals possible Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed Tensions between the two nations have risen sharply since Assad’s overthrow in December, following a rapid rebel advance led by Islamist factions. After the fall of Assad, Israeli troops seized parts of the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone and carried out airstrikes near Damascus, saying they aimed to prevent hostile forces from taking root along the border. Israel has insisted it will not tolerate any Iranian-backed groups returning to positions near its frontier, expressing deep mistrust of Syria’s new leadership — composed largely of former Islamist insurgents. Source: AP 

The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any Israeli hostages, authorities said Saturday, in a development that could further strain the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The transfer came after Israel on Friday returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, completing an exchange that followed Hamas’ earlier handover of the remains of two hostages. The exchanges had been seen as tentative progress in implementing the ceasefire deal. Israeli officials said the three unidentified sets of remains, delivered late Friday, were examined overnight. Military intelligence had initially indicated they were unlikely to be those of hostages abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war. On Saturday, both the Israeli military and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that assessment. “The remains we received are not our hostages,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. It remains unclear who the remains belong to or why they were sent to Israel. Hamas has not commented on the matter. Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages held in Gaza for nearly two years. However, the process of returning the last 11 hostages’ bodies has been slow, with only one or two released every few days. Israel has so far returned the bodies of 225 Palestinians since the truce began, but Gaza’s Health Ministry says only 75 have been identified by relatives. It remains uncertain whether the deceased were among those killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack, died in custody, or were recovered from Gaza during Israeli operations. The truce came under severe strain earlier this week when Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed more than 100 people following the death of an Israeli soldier in Rafah and delays in the hostage return process.  

Israel has handed over the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of two hostages to Israel, hospital officials and the Red Cross said. Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the pediatric unit at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that all 30 bodies arrived unidentified. The Red Cross assisted in the transfer, which is part of ongoing arrangements under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Two hostage bodies returned to Red Cross in Gaza Photos from the hospital showed the bodies in white bags laid in rows. Gaza health authorities are struggling to identify the deceased due to limited access to DNA testing. With this transfer, Israel has returned 225 Palestinian bodies so far. It is not clear whether these Palestinians were killed in Israel, died in custody, or were recovered during the conflict. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the remains returned by Hamas were those of hostages Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Hamas has returned 17 hostages, with 11 more expected under the agreement. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Yamen Hamed, was shot dead by Israeli forces in Silwad, West Bank, amid rising military operations and violence in the territory. Source: AP