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Palestinian couple in Gaza step in to raise 36 orphaned grandchildren

Palestinian couple in Gaza step in to raise 36 orphaned grandchildren
By Stephen Quillen, Fiona Kelliher, Umut Uras and Brian Osgood
Published On 28 Oct 2025

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28 Oct 2025 - 22:59
 (22:59 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

Read about UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese presenting a blistering report on complicity in Gaza’s genocide, here.

See how an Egyptian team is aiding Hamas in the search for Israeli captives by going here.

And as families return to what is left of their homes, watch how many Palestinians in Gaza face the deadly threat of unexploded ordnance.

For all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza and the ceasefire process, visit here.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will close soon. Here are the day’s major developments:

  • Israel bombed Gaza from north to south – killing at least 18 Palestinians and wounding dozens – after an alleged exchange of gunfire between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters.
  • Hamas has rejected any involvement in what Israel described as a shooting attack in Rafah in southern Gaza, which it used to justify the deadly air strikes.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement criticising Hamas for what it called “staging” the recovery of a dead captive’s remains.
  • UN official Navi Pillay said Israeli officials have demonstrated a “clear and consistent intent to establish permanent military control over Gaza and to change its demographic composition”.
  • The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced it recovered the bodies of two more dead Israeli captives, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch.
28 Oct 2025 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

US has not offered further comment on Israeli strikes on Gaza

By Rosiland Jordan

Reporting from Washington DC

There hasn’t been anything coming directly from the US State Department. The Secretary of State Marco Rubio is travelling with President Donald Trump on their way to a summit in South Korea.

But we have heard from US Vice President JD Vance, who spoke briefly to reporters and said the latest “skirmishes” between Israel and Hamas are to be expected.

This is something that was anticipated during the negotiations leading up to the ceasefire, which took effect on October 11. Vance stressed to reporters that in the Trump administration’s view, the ceasefire is holding.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Saudi FM, Palestinian PM discuss situation in Palestinian territory

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa have met in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

They met on the sidelines of Mustafa’s visit to the kingdom to participate in the ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), according to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry statement on X.

The two politicians “stressed the importance of continuing all efforts to ensure the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights to ensure the establishment of their independent state and achieves [sic] security and stability in the region”, the statement said.

“Both sides also emphasised the importance of empowering the Palestinian Authority and supporting its budget, including through the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority. They underscored the need to deliver humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip in accordance with humanitarian principles.”

28 Oct 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Israel shows desire for ‘permanent military control’ over Gaza

Navi Pillay, chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, says Israeli officials have demonstrated a “clear and consistent intent to establish permanent military control over Gaza and to change its demographic composition”.

“We remain deeply concerned over this issue, as the changes already made to land and borders have not been meaningfully reversed despite the recent ceasefire, and statements by Israeli officials make it clear that objectives of ethnic cleansing and establishment of settlements in the Gaza Strip remain firmly in place,” Pillay told reporters.

Israel’s discussion of annexing the occupied West Bank is also alarming, Pillay added, citing a recent vote in the Knesset supporting that goal.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:25
 (22:25 GMT)

‘There is only dust’

After months of relentless bombing, a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza. Video journalist Bisan Owda returns to Gaza’s north for the first time in months, documenting the destruction and meeting families making their return, hoping to rebuild their homes from dust and rubble.

What she captures isn’t just destruction, it’s the pain of returning and the strength of people trying to start over again.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

US trying to save Israel from its ‘fanatic’ leadership

By Marwan Bishara

Al Jazeera's senior political analyst

At the UN General Assembly in New York last month, the leaders of 55 countries came and talked to the US president and said to President Trump, “Where are you taking this region, because we – Arab and Muslim majority countries – will not accept any more escalation by Israel, your rogue, spoiled-brat ally”.

“Israel is using American arms to bomb your other allies, such as Qatar or Syria, Lebanon, Yemen,” they said.

Israel bombing the region with impunity endangers American interests, and I think that’s where the US had to put some limit to save Israel from its leaders. The United States has put a “ring of fire”, if you will, around the Netanyahu government, and that’s why the Americans imposed the 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

The plan is not disfavourable to Israel itself, but it is disfavourable to the fascists and fanatics there who basically feed on genocide.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)
Houthi

New Israeli attacks in Gaza kill 18

Medical sources in Gaza tell Al Jazeera at least 18 Palestinians have been killed and about 50 others injured in Israeli air strikes across the war-torn enclave.

Israeli planes launched a series of attacks from north to south after Israel accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, the latest test of a fragile deal brokered earlier this month by US President Donald Trump.

The US later played down the deadly air strikes and tank fire, saying that “skirmishes” are expected after two years of war.

28 Oct 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Lebanon’s Aoun calls for end to Israeli attacks in meeting with US envoy

President Joseph Aoun has called for an end to the near-daily deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon during a meeting in Beirut with US envoy Morgan Ortagus.

Israel has intensified its attacks on Hezbollah targets across the country despite a ceasefire. The strikes, now more frequent and widespread, have killed more than a dozen people in recent days.

Ortagus urged Lebanese leaders to accelerate Hezbollah’s disarmament and consider direct talks with Israel – a divisive issue in Lebanon.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut:

28 Oct 2025 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)
Houthi

Hamas names two deceased Israeli captives whose bodies it recovered

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has recovered the bodies of two dead Israeli captives, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, during search operations conducted today, a statement on Telegram says.

There are still 13 bodies of captives in Gaza. Hamas said earlier that it recovered the body of one abductee, but after Israel began attacking Gaza, the group said it would delay the handover.

Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining captives.

An Arab official involved in negotiating the ceasefire said that talks are under way with both sides to try to prevent the truce from collapsing. “Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach,” The Associated Press quoted the unnamed official as saying.

The official said that violations included delays in handing over bodies, the limited scale-up of aid delivery, and “minor skirmishes” on the line that separates Israeli troops from the rest of Gaza.

Members of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in Nuseirat on Tuesday [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]
28 Oct 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Malaysian PM says he told Trump Gaza deal ‘must be fair’

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he urged US President Donald Trump to ensure the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas is “fair”.

Malaysia has offered to deploy peacekeepers to war-battered Gaza.

Anwar did his “best to appeal” to Trump that the Gaza “peace initiative must be comprehensive, must be durable, must be fair, ultimately”, the Malaysian leader told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur after wrapping up an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Trump attended the summit on its first day. Anwar said he made “full use of the opportunity” of his ride in the US president’s car – after receiving Trump on Sunday – to engage him.

Trump “is a good listener in private engagements”, Anwar said, noting “He gave some views. I politely disagreed with some issues.”

US President Donald Trump talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he arrives at Kuala Lumpur [Hasnoor Hussain via AP]
28 Oct 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Turkiye slams Israel for violating Gaza ceasefire

The Foreign Ministry says Israel’s recent attacks on Gaza “constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire”.

The statement expressed “deep concern over the reports of civilian casualties”.

“We emphasise once again that full compliance with the ceasefire is vital for preserving the hope of lasting peace and establishing regional security,” it said.

“We reiterate our call on Israel to adhere to the ceasefire and refrain from actions that undermine peace and stability.”

Nine Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on various parts of Gaza this evening in violation of the ceasefire, according to hospital sources in Gaza.

28 Oct 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Red Cross condemns ‘staged recovery’ of Israeli captive’s body

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a statement criticising Hamas for what it called “staging” the recovery of a dead captive’s remains.

Drone footage shared by the Israeli army purports to show Hamas fighters burying the body in the ground before calling in ICRC teams and retrieving it when they were present.

The ICRC said its personnel “were not aware that a deceased person had been placed there prior to their arrival, as seen in the footage”.

“Our role as neutral intermediary does not include unearthing the bodies of the deceased. Our team only observed what appeared to be the recovery of remains without prior knowledge of the circumstances leading up to it,” the statement said.

“It is unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged when so much depends on this agreement being upheld, and when so many families are still anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.”

Red Cross workers at a site where Hamas fighters search for bodies of Israeli hostages [Haitham Imad/EPA]
28 Oct 2025 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)

Two Palestinian children shot by Israeli troops in West Bank

The Palestinian news service Wafa reports that two Palestinian children were injured when Israeli forces opened fire on a group of children in al-Mughayyir village, northeast of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

Citing local sources, Wafa said one child was hit in the abdomen and the other in the limbs in the incident on Tuesday night. Israeli troops stormed the village and detained four people.

Palestinians in the occupied territories have reported an uptick in violent attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank.

28 Oct 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate in Denmark

The European Palestinian Media Center has posted a live broadcast of the protest on its Facebook account.

It shows a number of police officers gathered around the activists – sitting on and blocking a road – attempting to disperse them.

Watch below:

28 Oct 2025 - 20:35
 (20:35 GMT)

Pro-Palestinian prisoners in UK will start hunger strike: Campaign group

Prisoners for Palestine says pro-Palestine activists jailed in the United Kingdom will start a series of hunger strikes, claiming all of them have been unjustly treated.

In a statement, the group said it had sent a letter to the country’s home secretary and warned the British government about the planned strike more than a week ago.

According to Prisoners for Palestine, the letter “has gone unanswered and ignored”.

“They have faced systematic abuse throughout their incarceration, and since the proscription of Palestine Action in July, the level of abuse and mistreatment has escalated,” it added.

It added, “The prisoners feel they have no other choice but to launch a rolling hunger strike in support of a principled set of demands, which include an end to interference with their communications, the right to a fair trial, and the proscription of Palestine Action.”

There are currently 33 pro-Palestine prisoners being held without trial in British jails, the group also said.

28 Oct 2025 - 20:25
 (20:25 GMT)
Houthi

Israel attacks kill 9 people in Gaza and wound 15 others

Hospital sources tell Al Jazeera at least nine Palestinians have been killed and 15 injured in Israeli air strikes and tank fire on Gaza City in the north and Khan Younis in the south.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, the latest violence in a three-week-old ceasefire.

Hamas accused Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu of looking for excuses to back away from Israel’s obligations under the US-brokered deal.

Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas released all living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees, while Israel pulled back its troops and halted its offensive. Israel continues to allow only a trickle of desperately needed aid into war-ravaged Gaza.

28 Oct 2025 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)

Israeli MPs call on Herzog to release Jewish prisoners

Fifty-five Israeli politicians have signed a letter urging President Isaac Herzog to free Jewish prisoners held in Israeli jails after the recent ceasefire deal saw hundreds of Palestinian inmates released in return for Israeli captives.

The letter, signed by 11 ministers and 44 MPs, was initiated by Knesset Member Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit Party, together with Honenu, a nonprofit dedicated to providing legal support to Israelis charged with violence against Palestinians, according to Israeli media reports.

The letter cited by news outlets said that while its signatories do not in any way agree with the actions of those on whose behalf they are advocating, it is wrong that they remain in prison while Palestinians are freed to return to their families.

“We call on you, Mr President, to act immediately to release this handful of Jewish prisoners and to correct this injustice,” it said.

Many of the Palestinians released under the ceasefire deal bore visible signs of abuse.

Reports that Israel tortures Palestinian detainees in its jails have been common for years, and have increased since the start of the war on Gaza more than two years ago, with some Israeli politicians even defending the practice.

28 Oct 2025 - 20:10
 (20:10 GMT)

Israel told US it will bombard Gaza: Report

Israel notified the United States before its latest deadly strikes in Gaza, The Associated Press reports, citing two unnamed US officials.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s order for the air attacks came after Israel alleged soldiers were fired on in southern Gaza by Palestinian gunmen. Hamas has denied any involvement.

28 Oct 2025 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

US vice president says Gaza ceasefire holds despite Israeli bombing

JD Vance says the United States expects Israel to retaliate against ceasefire violations by Hamas, but the overall framework of the agreement remains in place.

“The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” Vance told reporters.

“We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an [Israeli military] soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president’s peace is going to hold despite that.”

US officials have offered little criticism of the continuous Israeli attacks in Gaza that have killed nearly 100 Palestinians since the beginning of the US-backed truce, along with other violations such as continued Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Hamas denied involvement in a shooting attack that took place near Rafah earlier, which Israel used as justification to launch deadly air strikes.

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to media members in Kiryat Gat, Israel, last week [Ammar Awad/Reuters]