Trump Warns Hamas to Disarm or Be Disarmed; Israel Demands Faster Return of Hostage Bodies

Julie Stahl : Oct 15, 2025
CBN News

"It's not just a point in a peace agreement, it's something very important for the families, because if you don't have the mortal remains and the body, you can't grieve; and more importantly, you don't know, and you stay in a situation of ambiguous loss, and it's a permanent state of torture." -Fabrizio Carboni, head of the Red Cross delegation to the US and Canada

(Jerusalem, Israel) — [CBN News] President Trump has warned Hamas that the terror group had better disarm in the Gaza Strip or face the consequences. Israel's military, meanwhile, is pausing its pullback in some areas as Hamas delays in returning the bodies of hostages—a commitment, according to the peace agreement, that should have been completed by Monday. (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

President Trump cautioned, "We have told them we want disarm and they will disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it'll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But they will disarm."

Israel has temporarily closed the Rafah Crossing into Gaza, accusing Hamas of breaking the agreement. It stipulated that all 48 hostages, alive and deceased, were to be returned by Hamas by noon on Monday, although Hamas said in advance that they couldn't locate all of the deceased.

Every living hostage has returned to Israel. Overnight, Hamas turned over four more bodies to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Forensics determined one body was not that of a hostage, and was probably a Gaza Palestinian.

Only seven of the 28 presumed to be dead have been returned.

Fabrizio Carboni, head of the Red Cross delegation to the US and Canada, told CBN News' Faith Nation how important it is for the families to receive the remains.

"It's not just a point in a peace agreement, it's something very important for the families, because if you don't have the mortal remains and the body, you can't grieve; and more importantly, you don't know, and you stay in a situation of ambiguous loss, and it's a permanent state of torture," Carboni explained. (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

One of those still waiting is Ela Haimi. Her husband, Tal Haimi, was head of the rapid response security team at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, less than three miles from the Gaza border.

Haimi went to fight the terrorists invading their kibbutz on October 7th, 2023, and was killed. His body was kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Ela heard the news two months later.

Ela told reporters, "And after two months, (when) I was sure that Tal is alive and that he's gonna come back soon, the Army officer called me and told me, 'Ela, Tal is dead.' And then, in one minute, I had to make a lot of hard decisions: Are we doing a funeral? Will he have a grave, or not? And I thought about the kids to give them the closure. So, we did a funeral and Tal has a grave, a temporary one.

They have four children, the youngest born after Tal was killed. Ela and her children returned to the kibbutz just three months ago.

"And now we are here and waiting. And (these are) historical days, and we are waiting to bring Tal back home to the kibbutz land to bury him here. This is what he deserves. He was the first to go out, and we need to bring him back," she said.

Haimi admitted her life is full of mixed emotions.

"I'm very happy for other people, and I'm very sad for myself," she said. "We had the worst, that we lost Tal, but we have Lotan, the baby. So, this is my life—happiness and sadness mixed together. This is my life, to be happy for the families I've been with for two years. I saw them fighting, and I'm glad for them. And also, like my son said, I'm very sad about myself," she said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, visited some of the returned living hostages this week at Beilenson Hospital. They met with Avinatan Or, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Eviatar David, and Eitan Mor.

Netanyahu told them, "We are all thrilled to see you here. The people of Israel waited for you. Your wonderful families did not give up for a moment, and neither did we."

The prime minister continued, "The mission is not yet complete. We are committed to bringing back the fallen as well, and we will not give up on anyone."

Sara Netanyahu remarked, "How good it is to see you. This is an unparalleled emotional moment. We prayed, hoped, and acted so that you would be here again with your families. The prime minister and I never stopped thinking about you. I wish you robust health. You are heroes."

Families of the 20 hostages that returned this week spoke to journalists for the first time on Tuesday evening.

Liran Berman's twin brothers, Gali and Ziv, were kidnapped from their homes in Kfar Aza and came back on Monday. Liran Berman spoke from Sheba Medical Center, where his brothers are being cared for.

"Gali and Ziv are home," Berman stated. "They are safe, alive, and back in the arms of our mother, who never stopped believing that this day would come. For 738 days, our lives were trapped between hope and fear. Yesterday, that chapter ended. Seeing Gali and Ziv again, holding them after so long, was like feeling the world starts to move again."

Berman believes it wouldn't have been possible without President Trump.

"For months, he pushed forward when others hesitated, proving that courage and conviction can change history. We are deeply grateful for President Trump," he said. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East.