diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/fetch.cc b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/fetch.cc
index 195601df8b552..c5d461da04029 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/fetch.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/fetch.cc
@@ -1569,45 +1569,52 @@ void op_context::create_response_placeholders() {
     }
 }
 
-bool update_fetch_partition(
+// Determines if a partition should be included in an incremental fetch
+// response per KIP-227.
+bool partition_has_changes(
   const fetch_response::partition_response& resp,
-  fetch_session_partition& partition) {
-    bool include = false;
+  const fetch_session_partition& session_partition) {
     if (resp.records && resp.records->size_bytes() > 0) {
-        // Partitions with new data are always included in the response.
-        include = true;
+        return true;
     }
-    if (partition.high_watermark != resp.high_watermark) {
-        include = true;
-        partition.high_watermark = model::offset(resp.high_watermark);
+    if (session_partition.high_watermark != resp.high_watermark) {
+        return true;
     }
-    if (partition.last_stable_offset != resp.last_stable_offset) {
-        include = true;
-        partition.last_stable_offset = model::offset(resp.last_stable_offset);
+    if (session_partition.last_stable_offset != resp.last_stable_offset) {
+        return true;
     }
-    if (partition.start_offset != resp.log_start_offset) {
-        include = true;
-        partition.start_offset = model::offset(resp.log_start_offset);
+    if (session_partition.start_offset != resp.log_start_offset) {
+        return true;
     }
     /**
      * Always include partition in a response if it contains information about
      * the preferred replica
      */
     if (resp.preferred_read_replica != -1) {
-        include = true;
-    }
-    if (include) {
-        return include;
+        return true;
     }
     if (resp.error_code != error_code::none) {
         // Partitions with errors are always included in the response.
-        // We also set the cached highWatermark to an invalid offset, -1.
-        // This ensures that when the error goes away, we re-send the
-        // partition.
-        partition.high_watermark = model::offset{-1};
-        include = true;
+        return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+// Updates the fetch session's partition with the response. Called in
+// send_response() when committing the response, not during fetch iteration (to
+// avoid premature updates on retries).
+void update_session_partition(
+  const fetch_response::partition_response& resp,
+  fetch_session_partition& session_partition) {
+    session_partition.high_watermark = model::offset(resp.high_watermark);
+    session_partition.last_stable_offset = model::offset(
+      resp.last_stable_offset);
+    session_partition.start_offset = model::offset(resp.log_start_offset);
+    if (resp.error_code != error_code::none) {
+        // Set high_watermark to -1 so we re-send this partition once the error
+        // clears.
+        session_partition.high_watermark = model::offset{-1};
     }
-    return include;
 }
 
 ss::future<response_ptr> op_context::send_response() && {
@@ -1641,7 +1648,24 @@ ss::future<response_ptr> op_context::send_response() && {
     }
     // bellow we handle incremental fetches, set response session id
     response.data.session_id = session_ctx.session()->id();
+
+    auto& session_partitions = session_ctx.session()->partitions();
+    auto update_session = [&session_partitions](const auto& resp_it) {
+        auto key = model::kitp_view(
+          resp_it->partition->topic_id,
+          resp_it->partition->topic,
+          resp_it->partition_response->partition_index);
+        if (auto sp_it = session_partitions.find(key);
+            sp_it != session_partitions.end()) {
+            update_session_partition(
+              *resp_it->partition_response, sp_it->second->partition);
+        }
+    };
+
     if (session_ctx.is_full_fetch()) {
+        for (auto it = response.begin(false); it != response.end(); ++it) {
+            update_session(it);
+        }
         return rctx.respond(std::move(response));
     }
 
@@ -1651,6 +1675,8 @@ ss::future<response_ptr> op_context::send_response() && {
     final_response.internal_topic_bytes = response.internal_topic_bytes;
 
     for (auto it = response.begin(true); it != response.end(); ++it) {
+        update_session(it);
+
         if (it->is_new_topic) {
             final_response.data.responses.emplace_back(
               fetchable_topic_response{
@@ -1762,7 +1788,7 @@ void op_context::response_placeholder::set(
 
         if (auto it = session_partitions.find(key);
             it != session_partitions.end()) {
-            auto has_to_be_included = update_fetch_partition(
+            auto has_to_be_included = partition_has_changes(
               *_it->partition_response, it->second->partition);
             /**
              * From KIP-227
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/tests/fetch_test.cc b/src/v/kafka/server/tests/fetch_test.cc
index 9784ab24d281a..98e5023d023b8 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/tests/fetch_test.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/tests/fetch_test.cc
@@ -1209,3 +1209,113 @@ FIXTURE_TEST(fetch_response_bytes_eq_units, redpanda_thread_fixture) {
     BOOST_REQUIRE(octx.response_size > 0);
     BOOST_REQUIRE(octx.response_size == octx.total_response_memory_units());
 }
+
+// Regression test for CORE-14617: When a fetch is retried internally (due to
+// min_bytes not being satisfied), partitions with changed metadata (like
+// log_start_offset) must still be included in the final response.
+FIXTURE_TEST(
+  fetch_session_propagates_log_start_offset, redpanda_thread_fixture) {
+    model::topic topic("foo");
+    model::partition_id pid(0);
+    auto ntp = make_default_ntp(topic, pid);
+
+    wait_for_controller_leadership().get();
+    add_topic(model::topic_namespace_view(ntp)).get();
+    wait_for_partition_offset(ntp, model::offset(0)).get();
+
+    // Produce some data
+    auto shard = app.shard_table.local().shard_for(ntp);
+    app.partition_manager
+      .invoke_on(
+        *shard,
+        [ntp](cluster::partition_manager& mgr) {
+            return model::test::make_random_batches(model::offset(0), 20)
+              .then([ntp, &mgr](auto batches) {
+                  auto partition = mgr.get(ntp);
+                  return partition->raft()->replicate(
+                    chunked_vector<model::record_batch>(
+                      std::from_range,
+                      std::move(batches) | std::views::as_rvalue),
+                    raft::replicate_options(
+                      raft::consistency_level::quorum_ack));
+              });
+        })
+      .get();
+
+    auto client = make_kafka_client().get();
+    client.connect().get();
+
+    // Full fetch to establish session (session_epoch=0, invalid session_id)
+    kafka::fetch_request req1;
+    req1.data.max_bytes = std::numeric_limits<int32_t>::max();
+    req1.data.min_bytes = 1;
+    req1.data.max_wait_ms = 1000ms;
+    req1.data.session_id = kafka::invalid_fetch_session_id;
+    req1.data.session_epoch = kafka::initial_fetch_session_epoch;
+    req1.data.topics.emplace_back(
+      kafka::fetch_topic{
+        .topic = topic,
+        .partitions = {{
+          .partition = pid,
+          .fetch_offset = model::offset(5),
+        }},
+      });
+
+    auto resp1 = client.dispatch(std::move(req1), kafka::api_version(12)).get();
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(resp1.data.responses.size(), 1);
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(
+      resp1.data.responses[0].partitions[0].error_code,
+      kafka::error_code::none);
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_NE(resp1.data.session_id, kafka::invalid_fetch_session_id);
+
+    auto session_id = resp1.data.session_id;
+    auto initial_log_start
+      = resp1.data.responses[0].partitions[0].log_start_offset;
+
+    // Prefix truncate to change log_start_offset
+    auto trunc_err = app.partition_manager
+                       .invoke_on(
+                         *shard,
+                         [ntp](cluster::partition_manager& mgr) {
+                             auto partition = mgr.get(ntp);
+                             auto k_trunc_offset = kafka::offset(5);
+                             auto rp_trunc_offset
+                               = partition->log()->to_log_offset(
+                                 model::offset(k_trunc_offset));
+                             return partition->prefix_truncate(
+                               rp_trunc_offset,
+                               k_trunc_offset,
+                               ss::lowres_clock::time_point::max());
+                         })
+                       .get();
+    BOOST_REQUIRE(!trunc_err);
+
+    // Incremental fetch with min_bytes=1 - will retry internally waiting for
+    // data, but should still include the partition due to log_start_offset
+    // change even if no new data arrives during the retry window.
+    kafka::fetch_request req2;
+    req2.data.max_bytes = std::numeric_limits<int32_t>::max();
+    req2.data.min_bytes = 1;
+    req2.data.max_wait_ms = 1000ms;
+    req2.data.session_id = session_id;
+    req2.data.session_epoch = kafka::fetch_session_epoch(1);
+    req2.data.topics.emplace_back(
+      kafka::fetch_topic{
+        .topic = topic,
+        .partitions = {{
+          .partition = pid,
+          .fetch_offset = model::offset(20),
+        }},
+      });
+
+    auto resp2 = client.dispatch(std::move(req2), kafka::api_version(12)).get();
+    client.stop().then([&client] { client.shutdown(); }).get();
+
+    // The partition must be included even though no new data arrived, because
+    // log_start_offset changed. This is the regression test for CORE-14617.
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(resp2.data.responses.size(), 1);
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(resp2.data.responses[0].partitions.size(), 1);
+    auto new_log_start = resp2.data.responses[0].partitions[0].log_start_offset;
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_GT(new_log_start, initial_log_start);
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(new_log_start, model::offset(5));
+}
diff --git a/tests/rptest/tests/cluster_linking_e2e_test.py b/tests/rptest/tests/cluster_linking_e2e_test.py
index 88de6b8cc03b5..d31b77fcf14c7 100644
--- a/tests/rptest/tests/cluster_linking_e2e_test.py
+++ b/tests/rptest/tests/cluster_linking_e2e_test.py
@@ -1665,10 +1665,8 @@ def _check_partitions_match(
                     self.logger.debug(
                         f"Partition {partition_id}: source hwm={hwm}, shadow_hwm{p_info.source_high_watermark}, last_update={p_info.source_last_updated_timestamp}"
                     )
-                    # TODO: Re-enable once CORE-14617 is addressed
-                    # TODO: CORE-14653
-                    # if p_info.source_high_watermark != hwm:
-                    #     return False
+                    if p_info.source_high_watermark != hwm:
+                        return False
         return True
 
     def _fetch_shadow_topic_and_compare_results(