U.S., Israel discuss truce's Phase 2

Only 4 hostages are unaccounted for. Next stage involves Gaza's rule and stability.

- BY WAFAA SHURAFA AND JULIA FRANKEL

THE FIRST stage of the Gaza truce is nearing an end. In Gaza City, children wait to be vaccinated Sunday.

(JEHAD ALSHRAFI Associated Press)

President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the next stages of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, and Israel returned the remains of 15 more Palestinians.

The remains of four hostages are still in Gaza after Palestinian militants released the remains of an additional hostage Sunday.

The first stage of the ceasefire agreement that took effect Oct. 10 is nearing its end. The next stage calls for the implementation of a governing authority for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force. It is unclear where either stands.

Israel ended the previous ceasefire agreement this year after a period of exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners. At the time, mediators were unable to bring the militant group Hamas and Israel to the table to negotiate a troop withdrawal and a plan for the future governance of Gaza.

Also on Monday, the Israeli military released the results of a review into the failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war, saying it had found shortcomings in a series of previous investigations.

For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians — an exchange central to the ceasefire’s first phase. The Gaza Health Ministry said the total number of people whose remains were received is now 315.

Only 91 have been identified, the ministry said. Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza. The ministry posts photos of the remains online in the hope that families will recognize them.