 "US President Donald Trump (L) holds hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages on October 13 under a ceasefire agreement, as the US President and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza. The releases are part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US President, with Israel due in return to free nearly 2,000 detainees held in its jails in exchange. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)")
Over 60 per cent of Israelis think that the US is calling the shots in the IDF’s operation in Gaza after Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire last month.
Responding to a survey conducted by Channel 12, at least 2/3rds of the respondents said they believe Washington is taking all the major decisions regarding the Israeli military’s post-ceasefire activities in Gaza.
The poll also asked respondents whether they believe Israel has become a “vassal state” of the United States, a claim rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior US officials. Sixty-nine per cent agreed with the statement, 25 per cent disagreed, and 6 per cent said they were unsure.
Meanwhile, an Israeli military source told AFP said Friday the army had received three unidentified bodies from the Gaza Strip via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but it does not believe they belong to hostages.
“We still don’t know if the bodies being returned are hostages’ bodies,” the Israeli military source told AFP, confirming earlier reports that Israeli authorities received three bodies from the Red Cross.
“From our intel we don’t think they are hostages’ bodies, and we transferred them to the forensic research laboratory”, to confirm their identities, the source added.
Earlier Friday, the ICRC said in a statement that its teams “tonight facilitated the transfer of three deceased to Israeli authorities”.
“This was done at the request of the parties, and with their agreement,” it added.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Palestinian militants have so far returned the remains of 17 of the 28 deceased hostages that Hamas had agreed to hand over as part of a US-brokered truce deal with Israel, not including Friday’s three bodies.
With inputs from AFP