News Wrap: Israel says Rafah crossing will remain closed until hostage bodies are returned

Ali Rogin:

In tonight's other headlines, there is uncertainty whether Palestinians trying to get back to Gaza will have a way through the Rafah border crossing. The Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said the crossing will reopen Monday. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued its own statement today that saying the crossing will remain closed until further notice.

Before the war, the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt, was the only way for Palestinians to leave the area along a route not controlled by Israel. Israel said all the bodies of the hostages must be returned before the crossing can be allowed to reopen.

Late this evening, the IDF said it would soon receive the remains of several hostages. Hamas blames its slow progress in returning remains on a lack of heavy machinery to dig through the rubble and ash of what's left of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Gaza Civil Defense blamed the Israeli military for the deaths of nearly a dozen people overnight. It's been widely reported that 11 people from the same family were killed after their bus was hit by a tank shell. The IDF said its soldiers fired at a suspicious vehicle that crossed into an area where Israeli forces continue to operate. This is the deadliest incident since the ceasefire took effect eight days ago.

President Trump said tonight two survivors who were detained after a U.S. strike on a vessel Thursday in the Caribbean will be returned to their home countries.

In a social media post, the president said the military targeted an alleged drug carrying submarine because it was going to bring fentanyl and other narcotics to the US. Two people on board were killed while two survivors were rescued. According to Mr. Trump, they will soon be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, where they will face detention and prosecution. Thursday's strike is at least the sixth such attack since early September.

Former Congressman George Santos is out of prison and back home tonight after President Trump commuted his sentence. The president wrote on social media that he decided to sign the commutation to release Santos from prison on Friday, in part because Santos would always vote Republican when he was in office.

Santos, a Republican who represented New York's 3rd congressional district, was set to serve seven years in federal prison after he pled guilty in August to fraud and identity theft charges.

And baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani cemented the Los Angeles Dodgers spot in the World Series thanks to his hitting and pitching talents. Ohtani hit three home runs, had 10 strikeouts and pitched six shutout innings to lead his team to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers late Friday. The Dodgers will soon try to earn their third World Series ring since 2020.