US envoy Jared Kushner speaks to news men in Jerusalem on Monday. — Collected DEIR AL-BALAH, Nov 10 (AP/AFP): Israel on Monday returned the remains of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, marking a step forward in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as a top White House envoy met Israeli leaders to discuss the next phase of the fragile agreement.
The return came after Palestinian militants handed over a hostage on Sunday. With the latest exchange, only four hostage remains remain in Gaza.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Monday, according to a photo released by Netanyahu's office. The talks focused on advancing the next stage of the ceasefire, which involves establishing a governing body in Gaza and deploying an international stabilization force. The status of these plans remains unclear.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the Red Cross facilitated the handover, bringing the total Palestinian remains returned to 315. Under the exchange agreement, Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli hostage returned. Only 91 of the bodies have been identified so far due to limited forensic resources in Gaza.
The latest handover included the remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in 2014, ending a long-standing campaign by his family to bring him home. Goldin was killed shortly after a ceasefire in that year's conflict, and his remains were the only ones in Gaza predating the current war.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel left around 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, and 251 kidnapped. Meanwhile, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that Palestinian deaths in the conflict have risen to 69,176.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates is not planning to join the international stabilisation force for Gaza because it lacks a clear framework, a senior official said on Monday.
"The UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stability force, and under such circumstances will probably not participate in such a force," Emirati presidential advisor Anwar Gargash told the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate forum.
The US-coordinated international force has been seen as likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, as well as the UAE.
Last week, US President Donald Trump said he expected the force to be in Gaza "very soon", as a fragile ceasefire holds following two years of war.
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