Rejecting a Hamas exchange proposal, Smotrich emphasizes eliminating terrorists and backs Israel’s independence in Gaza, despite ongoing US involvement in stabilization efforts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich emphasized the need to eliminate the hundreds of terrorists on the Israeli side of Gaza's Yellow Line in Rafah,

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities confirmed Thursday that the remains of a hostage returned the previous day from Gaza are of a Tanzanian agricultural student in Israel who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023 in the Hamas-led attack that started the war.

The set of remains handed over to Israel on Tuesday were those of Itay Chen, the final remaining American Israeli hostage, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

USAID Office of the Inspector General is pursuing allegations that U.S. taxpayer dollars sent to the Gaza Strip were diverted to Hamas terrorists in the enclave.

S&P Global revised Israel's outlook to "stable" from "negative" on Friday, citing reduced probability of security risks after an October ceasefire agreement with Hamas, potentially putting an end to a two-year war that has roiled the Middle East.