Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the Gaza war will not end until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarized.

His statement came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two more hostages under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement. The Red Cross received the remains late Saturday, which were then transferred to Israeli security forces.

The recovery of dead hostages remains a key issue delaying full implementation of the ceasefire’s first phase. Israel has linked reopening the Rafah crossing with Egypt to the return of all hostages’ remains.

Netanyahu emphasized that completing the ceasefire’s second phase—which includes disarming Hamas—is crucial to ending the conflict. “When that is successfully completed—hopefully peacefully, but if not, by force—then the war will end,” he said on Israeli Channel 14.

Hamas has resisted disarmament and is working to reassert control over Gaza since the ceasefire began.

Under the ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamas has released all 20 living hostages and the remains of 10 people, including Israelis and one Nepalese. Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned 135 Palestinian bodies in exchange.

Hamas says it needs more time and assistance to recover remaining bodies buried under rubble. The two bodies returned Saturday were reportedly recovered earlier that day.

Netanyahu indicated that the Rafah crossing’s reopening depends on Hamas fulfilling its part in returning hostages’ bodies. While the Palestinian mission in Cairo announced the crossing might open Monday for Gazans in Egypt, Netanyahu’s office later ordered it remain closed until further notice.

Hamas warned the closure would delay the transfer of remains.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, visiting northern Gaza, described the devastation as “a vast wasteland” and highlighted the huge challenges ahead, including providing food, rebuilding healthcare, and preparing for winter.

Despite the ceasefire, some violence continued. Gaza’s civil defense reported Israeli tank fire killed nine Palestinians from the Shaaban family. Israeli military said they fired warning shots at a vehicle approaching their position, perceiving it as a threat, and acted under the ceasefire terms.

Relatives mourned the victims, with one grandmother asking, “What did they do wrong?”

The military on Tuesday took over power in Madagascar after the parliament impeached President Andry Rajoelina. This was as a result of weeks of anti-government protests.

There were celebrations on the streets of the capital after the commander of the CAPSAT military unit, which joined the demonstrators over the weekend, announced that it was in charge.

The presidency denounced “a clear act of attempted coup” and insisted that Rajoelina, in hiding, reportedly out of the country, “remains fully in office”.

Rajoelina, 51, had late Monday refused growing demands to step down from the protest movement that started on September 25 over power and water shortages, and developed into a campaign against the president and ruling elite.

•Raila Amolo Odinga Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga died today at the age of 80 during a health visit to India.

AFP reports that Odinga was the perennial opposition figure of Kenyan politics, running unsuccessfully for the presidency on five occasions, most recently in 2022.

He remained a dominant force, able to rally huge numbers, particularly from his native western Kenya.

Indian police told AFP that he was walking with his sister, daughter, and a personal doctor “when he suddenly collapsed”.

“An Indian police security officer and a Kenyan security officer were also with them at the time.

“He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but was declared dead,” the police source said.