U.S. officials: Hamas intends to abide by Gaza agreement

Senior U.S. officials said on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, that Hamas intends to honor its pledge to return all the remains of captives in the Gaza Strip, after Israel threatened to resume the war following the group’s announcement that, for logistical reasons, it is currently unable to return the rest of the bodies.

One of the officials told reporters in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, “We still hear from them their determination to comply with the agreement. They want to complete it on that matter.” According to the officials, recovering bodies in the Palestinian territory is a difficult task because it is completely devastated, meaning specialized equipment is needed to retrieve the remains.

Another official said, “There was a lot of disappointment and anger when only four bodies were recovered, and they could have simply said, you know, ‘We’re moving forward.'”

He added, “But they returned bodies the next day, then the following day, at the pace we provided them with intelligence.”