Netanyahu and Trump discuss return of Israeli captives' bodies from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have conducted discussions regarding the ongoing process of recovering deceased Israeli captives from Gaza during a Thursday evening telephone conversation. According to Israeli media reports, the leaders specifically addressed the pace of returning hostage remains, with Netanyahu briefing Trump on potential Israeli responses to what Tel Aviv characterizes as Hamas delays in implementing agreement provisions.

Hostage recovery progress and challenges

Hamas has released 20 living Israeli captives and transferred 10 out of 28 confirmed deceased hostages since Monday, though Israeli authorities contest one received body's identification. The Palestinian group maintains that recovering the remaining 18 bodies requires specialized equipment for extraction from beneath collapsed structures throughout Gaza's devastated landscape, emphasizing technical challenges rather than intentional delays in implementation.

Prisoner exchange details

The current ceasefire arrangement has facilitated Israel's release of 250 Palestinians serving life sentences alongside 1,718 additional detainees from Gaza captured after October 8, 2023. Despite these releases, over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli detention facilities, highlighting the substantial scope of ongoing prisoner exchange negotiations occurring within the broader ceasefire framework.

Implementation disputes and family pressures

Israeli hostage families have urged suspension of further ceasefire phases until all remaining bodies are recovered, creating domestic pressure on Netanyahu's government. While Hamas asserts "serious efforts" to complete recovery operations, Israeli officials confirm second-phase negotiations have not yet commenced despite Trump's previous indications that talks were advancing, revealing implementation discrepancies between public statements and operational realities.