Copyright haaretz
Here's what you need to know about Tuesday's updates from the Israel-Hamas cease-fire: ■ The Israeli military announced that its forces escorted two coffins of deceased hostages into Israeli territory, where they will be sent to the National Forensic Institute for identification overnight. ■ The body of Israeli hostage Tal Haimi, killed on October 7 at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was returned to Israel overnight. Meanwhile, funeral rites were performed for deceased hostages Ronen Engel and Bipin Joshi. ■ Vice President JD Vance said at a press conference in Israel that the Trump administration is "not going to force anything" on Israel regarding which forces will be deployed in the Gaza Strip, but added that Turkey has a "constructive" role to play. ■ U.S. envoy Jared Kushner spoke at the press conference, saying that no reconstruction funds will be going into areas controlled by Hamas, but that there are "considerations happening now" to start reconstruction in Israeli-controlled territory. ■ Netanyahu met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Netanyahu's bureau said in a release, to discuss the cease-fire plan in Gaza and "strengthening peace between the countries." ■ The UN World Food Program said that supplies into Gaza were ramping up after the U.S.-brokered cease-fire, but were still far short of its daily target of 2,000 tons because only two crossings are open, and none to the famine-hit north of the enclave. ■ President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, saying that many of the United States' Mideast allies have "explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten our Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us." The president said that he told these countries, "and Israel, 'NOT YET!'" ■ The Palestinian Education Ministry said that the number of students killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to more than 19,910, while 30,097 have been wounded. According to the report, 179 government schools in the Gaza Strip have been completely destroyed. ■ The Israeli government urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to drop his pledge to honour the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he travelled to the country.
