Gaza ceasefire facing ongoing challenges as tenth hostage body returned

Israel identifies dead hostage returned on Friday

Hamas handed over the body of another Israeli captive on Friday evening, bringing the total to 10 since the truce began. The militat group said it needs heavy machinery and excavation equipment to retrieve more remains, but that Israel had blocked their entry.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said that by blocking heavy equipment and machinery from entering, Israel is creating "a challenge for the residents of Gaza who are experienced and have the expertise to search and to dig out bodies from under the rubble".

In a statement on Saturday, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which supports the families of those abducted, said they would not rest until the bodies of the remaining 18 hostages were brought home. The forum pledged to continue holding weekly rallies until all remains are returned.

UN calls Gaza's aid situation catastrophic 

Israel has continued to seal the Rafah crossing with Egypt and blocked other key border crossings, preventing large-scale aid deliveries into the enclave, according to local  reports. 

The United Nations warned this week that aid convoys are struggling to reach famine-hit areas, with 49 percent of people accessing less than six liters of drinking water per day – well below emergency standards.

The World Food Programme said it has brought an average of 560 tonnes of food daily into Gaza since the ceasefire began, far below what is needed to address widespread malnutrition and prevent famine.

Israel says it is reducing the agreed volume of aid trucks into Gaza from the target of 600 per day because it claims Hamas has failed to fulfil obligations under the truce deal, particularly the slow return of deceased hostages' bodies.

Israel says many supplies or materials entering Gaza could be diverted by Hamas or other militant groups for military purposes.

Palestinian family killed by Israeli strike

Israeli forces have killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza, the deadliest single violation of the fragile ceasefire since it took effect eight days ago, reported Al Jazeera.

The attack happened on Friday evening when a tank shell was fired by Israeli forces at a civilian vehicle, according to Gaza's civil defense.

Seven children and three women were among those killed when the Israeli military fired on the vehicle as the family attempted to reach their home to inspect it, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.

Hamas condemned what it called a "massacre" and said the family was targeted without justification. The group called on United States President Donald Trump and mediators to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire agreement.

Palestinian arrested in U.S. for alleged October 7 involvement

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a Louisiana resident of participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, then lying about his past and fraudulently obtaining a visa to live in the U.S.

According to an FBI criminal complaint unsealed this week, Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi armed himself and gathered a group to cross from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during the attack that left more than 1,200 people dead.

Hamas fighters also kidnapped more than 250 people, including dozens of American citizens, during the raid.

Football fans banned from Aston Villa match

The British government said on Friday it is working with police and looking at the additional resources needed so that fans of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv can attend a match in Birmingham next month, after an earlier ban, which had sparked criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians.

English soccer team Aston Villa said travelling Maccabi fans would be barred from the Europa League match on November 6 after West Midlands Police expressed concerns about public safety from potential protesters outside the stadium.

"The Government is working with policing and other partners to do everything in our power to ensure this game can safely go ahead, with all fans present," a spokesperson for the government said in a statement on Friday.

"We are exploring what additional resources and support are required so all fans can attend."