Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance due in Israel as another hostage’s body returned

7.55am BST
Israel says remains of another hostage returned from Gaza identified

Israel has confirmed that the remains of a hostage held in Gaza, returned by Hamas a day earlier, had been identified as those of Tal Chaimi, who was killed on 7 October 2023.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said:

Following the completion of the identification process … representatives of (the army) informed the family of the hostage, Sergeant Major Tal Chaimi, of blessed memory, that their loved one had been returned to Israel and his identification had been completed.

Chaimi, 41, commander of the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz defence militia, was killed in the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on southern Israel in 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. His body was taken to Gaza. He had four children, including one born after the attack.

Heartbroken but relieved Tal Haimi is home - after 745 days in Hamas captivity. 💔Tal Haimi, 41, was killed defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, 2023. His body was kidnapped into Gaza and held for over 2 years.A mechanical engineer and member of the kibbutz’s response… pic.twitter.com/ZiubiwHEFo— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 21, 2025

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began.
Mediators understand that Hamas is having trouble locating all of the dead but the Israeli government believes the Palestinian militant group is making insufficient effort.
Hamas says the war’s devastation and Israeli military control of certain areas of Gaza have slowed the handover.

7.41am BST
Vance due in Israel as another hostage's body is returned

We are restarting our live coverage of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the diplomatic efforts to try to maintain it.
The 11-day ceasefire in Gaza was seriously undermined on Sunday after Israel launched waves of deadly airstrikes and said it would cut off aid into the territory “until further notice” after a reported attack by Hamas, which the militant group denied being involved in.

In an attempt to ensure the ceasefire holds and to discuss the further implementation of the US brokered plan, US vice-president JD Vance is due to visit Israel later today.
In a speech on Monday to the Knesset, Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was vague about what he would speak about with Vance, whose diplomatic trip to Israel is set to last until Thursday.
“We will talk about two things, mainly the security challenges and the diplomatic opportunities we face,” Netanyahu said. “We will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities.”
The fragile ceasefire agreement appeared back on track as Israel received the remains of another hostage in Gaza and Israel allowed humanitarian aid deliveries to resume to the territory devasted by relentless Israeli bombardments. A UN spokesperson did not say how much aid was getting in.
Israel had threatened on Sunday to halt aid shipments and its forces killed dozens of Palestinian people in airstrikes across Gaza after accusing Hamas militants of killing two soldiers. Israel later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire that began on 10 October.
Donald Trump said on Monday that he would give Hamas a chance to “behave” or else be “eradicated”.
The US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire agreement alongside Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators, met with Netanyahu yesterday.
It came as Hamas negotiators reportedly met with Egyptian mediators and Palestinian factions in Cairo. Negotiations about the second phase of the Trump plan will include discussions about the eventual withdrawal of the IDF and the disarmament of Hamas, something the militant group has expressed serious reservations about.

Updated at 8.01am BST