Israel says it has received the remains of 4 more deceased hostages as cuts to aid for Gaza loom

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Hamas hastened Tuesday to ease the pressure on a fragile ceasefire in its war with Israel by returning the bodies of more dead hostages. The move came after an Israeli military agency said it would slash aid deliveries to Gaza by half over concerns that the militant group was handing remains over slower than agreed.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed late Tuesday that authorities received four deceased hostages that the Red Cross handed over to Israeli military authorities inside Gaza. The bodies will be taken to the National Center for Forensic Medicine where they will be identified and the families notified.

This latest transfer of remains comes a day after Israel received the bodies of four other dead hostages. Despite the development, it was unclear if the Israeli military agency known as COGAT will follow through with its decision to allow into Gaza only half of the 600 aid trucks called for under the deal.

The United Nations' humanitarian office in famine-stricken Gaza received word of the humanitarian aid cuts from the Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, according to spokesperson Olga Cherevko. U.S. officials were also notified, according to three Associated Press sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern in a social media post that too few of the dead hostages have been returned. He made no mention of Israel halving the flow of aid into the territory.

Trump also warned Hamas that if “they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

A day earlier, Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel’s release of some 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire’s first phase.

Hamas and the Red Cross have said that recovering the remains of dead hostages is a challenge because of Gaza's destruction, and Hamas told mediators of the deal that some are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

The U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan called for all hostages living and dead to be handed over within 72 hours, meaning on Monday. But it provided a mechanism if that didn’t happen, saying Hamas should share information about deceased hostages and “exert maximum effort” to carry out the handover as soon as possible.

Families of hostages and their supporters expressed dismay that only four of the 28 bodies were returned on Monday. The Hostages Family Forum, representing many families, called it a “blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas.”

The top official in Israel coordinating the return of hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, told the families in a note that pressure was being applied on Hamas through mediators to expedite the process. A copy of the note was seen by the AP and its authenticity was confirmed by someone with knowledge of the statement.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the identity of the four dead hostages returned on Monday: Guy Illouz from Israel, Bipin Joshi from Nepal, Cpt. Daniel Peretz and Yossi Sharabi.

Illouz was abducted from a music festival, Joshi from a bomb shelter and Sharabi from Be’eri Kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited the war.

Israel said Illouz died of his wounds without proper medical treatment, while Joshi was killed in the war's first months.

Families left waiting expressed concern.

Ela Haimi said she didn’t know if the body of her husband, Tal, would be returned by Hamas in a few hours, days or ever. “I am afraid they will stop the return,” she said. Tal Haimi was killed while defending his kibbutz during the 2023 attack.

The freed Israeli hostages were in medical care, and some families said it would be weeks before the men could go home.

Dalia Cusnir-Horn said brother-in-law Eitan Horn had lost more than 40% of his body weight after receiving very little food in the last few months. The physical toll was only part of the trauma, she said.

“He’s just learning now … friends he knew that were murdered, and he had no clue how many people were kidnapped on that day and what this country went through, and it’s overwhelming and it’s hard,” Cusnir-Horn said.

Moshe Levi spoke of brother-in-law Omri Miran's elation at playing with his young daughters — one less than a year old when her father was taken hostage.

“He could feel like he’s a father again,” Levi said.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, where hundreds of prisoners and detainees were released, several were taken to hospitals.

Murad Barakat, medical director of the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, said the facility received 14 men and discharged all but two.

Doctors said their conditions suggested they “were subjected to severe beatings, reflecting the extent of the violence they endured,” said Imed al-Shami, a resident doctor at the hospital.

Kamal Abu Shanab, who was released after more than 18 years, said beatings caused his shoulder to tear. "For eight months, I wasn’t given even a pill for the pain,” he said.

AP could not independently verify the claims. Israel’s Prison Service said it was unaware of such claims.

Nasser Hospital in Gaza said the Red Cross transferred the bodies of 45 Palestinians to its morgue. The bodies were the first of an expected 450 to arrive.

Difficult questions remain about Gaza's future, including whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern and help rebuild the territory. Also unanswered is the question of Palestinian statehood.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer Gaza, with approval from Israel, Hamas and all other Palestinian factions.

Palestinians in Gaza appealed for authorities to move quickly to restore some semblance of normality. “There is no infrastructure, electricity, water or anything that is fit for life," said Mohamad Abu Hajras, one of the many displaced.

On Tuesday, the U.N. development agency said the latest joint estimate with the European Union and the World Bank is that rebuilding Gaza will require $70 billion.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces pulled back to where they were in August, before launching their latest offensive on Gaza City. A number of hard-hit Palestinian neighborhoods remain under Israeli control, and Israel has warned residents not to try to return to homes there.

Gaza's Health Ministry on Tuesday said the bodies of three people killed by Israel's military in the north were taken to Al Ahli hospital. The military said troops had “opened fire to remove the threat” of several people approaching them and not complying with orders to stop. It didn’t immediately comment on any casualties.

The war has killed over 67,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead, and many independent experts say its figures are the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

Dell'Orto reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press journalists Matthew Lee and Aamer Mahdani in Washington; Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank; and Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al Balah, Gaza, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles enter a warehouse allegedly to collect coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles allegedly transporting coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages leave a warehouse for Israel, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles allegedly transporting coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages leave a warehouse for Israel, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles enter a warehouse allegedly to collect coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

People sit in front of the sea alongside photographs of hostages who were held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Israeli Yaar, only first name given, walks wrapped with an Israeli flag with the photo of one of her best friend Itay Chen, who was killed in Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, at the plaza known as hostages square, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

The sun sets behind buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli excavators work in the Gaza Strip as the sun sets, seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A worker cleans the ground at the plaza known as hostages square, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

People gather to greet freed Palestinian prisoners as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after their release from Israeli jails under a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A person pastes a heart-shaped sticker on a banner with pictures of Israeli hostages during a a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Flowers and a sign written in Hebrew reads "Sorry" are placed on a bench outside Abu Kabir, the forensic institute where the identification process is being carried out on the four bodies that were held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of 130 people in that city.

Mayor Janet Cowell said she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The political reasoning seemed obvious when the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Both are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent officials who make no secret of their anger at the White House.

But Charlotte, North Carolina? Why send the Border Patrol to that city?

Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein in particular has tried hard to get along with the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state's two U.S. senators are both Republican and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.

The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.

But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation.

The White House “can have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it's a weaker version" than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.

“They’re not interested in just deporting people. They’re interested in the show,” he said.

U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday.

The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime — despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.

The crackdown set off fierce objections from area leaders.

“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.

“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.

Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.

The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times.

Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.

Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.

While the Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police do not help with immigration enforcement.

In Mecklenburg County, the jail did not honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.

DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.

For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.

Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.

While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.

Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”

Last month, McFadden said he'd had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.

“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.

But such talk doesn't calm the political waters.

“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.

Sullivan reported from Minneapolis and Robertson from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino takes a phone call, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A sign reading 'ICE is not welcome here' is displayed outside of store front amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Protestors set up outside of Manolo's Bakery amidst federal law enforcement, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A sign of support is posted outside of Manolo's bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Manuel 'Manolo' Betancur sits outside of his bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Shana Blake sits in a cage dressed as the Statue of Liberty to protest federal law enforcement presence in Charlotte, N.C. Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)