Israel Resumes Airstrikes, Accusing Hamas of Ceasefire Violations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered airstrikes across the Gaza Strip after Israel alleged that Hamas fighters opened fire against Israeli forces in Rafah, an accusation Hamas rejected (NBC)
The airstrikes have created further concern about the fragility of the ceasefire agreement and come after Hamas provided the remains of a wrong body after promising to release a slain hostage (Reuters). U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that despite occasional “skirmishes,” the truce “is holding” (BBC)
In the West Bank, meanwhile, Israel conducted its first airstrike in months, killing three Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants (NYT)
Israel Will Not Accept Turkish Troops in Gaza International Stabilization Force
Israel’s foreign minister claimed that Turkey had “a hostile approach” to Israel under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week the force would need to be made up of countries that “Israel’s comfortable with” (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had likewise suggested that Israel would retain a veto over “unacceptable” international forces (NBC)
Meanwhile, implementation of the ceasefire deal continued as Hamas announced it would release another hostage’s body on Monday night; an Egyptian team has also been deployed to support Red Cross efforts in locating other bodies, while Hamas itself has suggested it is boosting search efforts (France 24; AP)
Although Israel conducted a targeted airstrike on an Islamic Jihad militant, mediators, including Rubio, defended the move as one of self-defense, suggesting it did not undermine the ceasefire (Jerusalem Post).
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Visits Israel to Discuss Gaza Ceasefire
Rubio toured a new U.S.-led civil-military coordination center, which Washington announced will be led by longtime diplomat Steven Fagin, and added that the United States continues leading efforts to form an international security force in Gaza (AP; Times of Israel). Rubio said there was “no plan B” to Trump’s peace plan, which had broad regional support (Times of Israel)
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Washington is weighing the replacement of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation with a network of up to sixteen “Gaza Humanitarian Belt” centers that would distribute aid and support disarmament efforts under U.S. and Israeli supervision; operational control would shift to nonprofit groups like the UAE and Morocco Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse (Reuters)
WHO Warning on Gaza Aid
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said humanitarian deliveries to Gaza remain far below requirements and urged Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt; he also estimated that rebuilding the enclave’s shattered health system could cost over $7 billion (Reuters)
Separately, the non-profit organization Humanity & Inclusion estimated that it will take decades to remove unexploded bombs across Gaza, with dozens having already died from bomb remnants as Israel continues to block comprehensive demining operations (Times of Israel/Reuters)
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance called Israel’s preliminary vote to apply its laws to the occupied West Bank an “insult,” saying it contradicts U.S. policy as he prepares to depart Israel; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio likewise condemned the move (NBC)
Trump told reporters “Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank” (Times of Israel)
The bill also drew regional condemnation, as Vance pushed Israel to focus on implementing the ceasefire agreement and outlined plans to rebuild “Hamas-free” areas such as Rafah within two to three years (AP)
ICJ Order on Aid to Gaza
As an occupying power, Israel is obliged to work with humanitarian organizations to allow aid into Gaza, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in an advisory opinion; the court also said that the UN refugee agency for Palestinians had not violated impartiality rules and that Israel should support its work (ICJ)
Israel’s UN ambassador rejected the opinion as a “political document,” while the U.S. State Department called it “corrupt” (CNN)
Trump Administration Pushes to Maintain Gaza Ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his warnings that Hamas would face force if it refused to disarm under the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire (Times of Israel)
Still, arriving in Israel, Vice President JD Vance said the truce was “going better than expected” and urged Hamas to cooperate with the U.S.-backed twenty-point plan (AP)
He spoke while visiting a new U.S. ceasefire coordination center in southern Israel (CENTCOM)
Vance’s visit coincided with Hamas’s return of two more Israeli hostages’ bodies (Reuters)
Despite incremental progress in hostage returns and the flow of aid, sporadic clashes continue to threaten the tenuous deal, as Qatar, a key mediator, accused Israel of “continuous violations” on Tuesday (Reuters)
Mediators are nonetheless pushing to begin second-phase talks, and Hamas officials met with senior Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss efforts to bolster momentum over the truce (BBC; AFP)
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program called for the opening of additional crossings into Gaza, saying that food aid was well below target levels because only two crossings have been opened since the truce; neither aid corridor is located in Gaza’s north, where international monitors have declared a famine (Reuters)
White House Envoys Arrive in Israel to Preserve Gaza Truce
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner made the trip ahead of a prospective visit by Vice President JD Vance later this week (Times of Israel;Times of Israel)
The United States, along with Middle Eastern and European countries, are currently negotiating a draft UN Security Council resolution that would establish the parameters of an international force to disarm Hamas (Haaretz)
Israel also said it is working to demarcate the withdrawal line in Gaza, beyond which it will fire at any resident who crosses, with visual markers (Times of Israel)
Israel Suspends and Renews Ceasefire
Israel said that Hamas fighters killed two of its soldiers in southern Gaza’s Rafah this morning; Hamas said it was committed to the ceasefire, unaware of clashes in Rafah, and had not been in touch with groups there for months (Times of Israel)
In response to the Rafah incident, Israel launched dozens of airstrikes in Gaza, killing at least forty-five people, Gaza’s civil defense agency said; each side accused the other of violating the truce (France24)
Trump appeared to validate Hamas’ explanation, saying “maybe the leadership isn’t involved” in the Rafah attack (BBC)
After today’s fighting and a report by Israel’s public broadcaster of an order to pause aid to Gaza, Israel said that the ceasefire had resumed this evening (Anadolu Agency;Reuters)
Vice President J.D. Vance said that even “the best case scenario” for peace would still progress in “fits and starts” with occasional fire, arguing that Trump’s plan remained “the best chance for sustainable peace;” he also said that ensuring Hamas was properly disarmed—a tenet of Trump’s plan—would require international forces, such as those from Gulf states, to enter Gaza (Bloomberg)
Israeli Military Fires at Palestinian Vehicle
The Israel Defense Forces accused the vehicle of crossing the ceasefire line inside Gaza; the IDF fire reportedly killed several people (Times of Israel)
Israel and Hamas continue trading accusations of ceasefire violations, as Israel threatens a return to war if the remaining hostage bodies are not returned (NBC)
More Hostages Returned As Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Remains Fragile
Hamas returned the bodies of two more Israeli hostages on Wednesday night, bringing the total number to nine; Hamas suggested that it is unable to reach the remaining nineteen bodies, although Israel has contested that claim and continues to demand their retrieval (Times of Israel)
Still, the Israeli military said it was coordinating with Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing for passenger movement, although not humanitarian aid; the reopening date remains unconfirmed (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Hamas has continued its attacks on Gazans, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten an intervention aimed at destroying Hamas (CNN)
Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to coordinate an approach to Hamas’s actions (Jerusalem Post)
France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are working together on a draft UN Security Council resolution laying the ground for an international force in Gaza, France’s foreign minister said; unnamed diplomats told Reuters that the stabilization force—one of the tenets of Trump’s Gaza peace plan—would not be a UN peacekeeping force funded by the body, but rather a UN-endorsed force, a framework currently being used in Haiti (Reuters)
Washington is in talks with Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan to contribute troops (Reuters)
Gaza Ceasefire Strains as Israel Accuses Hamas of Breaching Ceasefire Commitments
Israel halved the flow of aid trucks into Gaza and postponed reopening the Rafah crossing with Egypt, accusing Hamas of breaching the U.S.-brokered ceasefire by failing to return the bodies of twenty-four Israeli hostages; Hamas has so far handed over only four remains, saying others are difficult to locate under rubble (Guardian). The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed this claim, suggesting that some bodies may never be found (Haaretz)
Hamas returned the bodies of four dead hostages to Israel last night, with ICRC vehicles entering Gaza to coordinate the handover; Israeli authorities said that one of the bodies did not belong to a known hostage (BBC)
Israel returned forty-five Palestinian bodies to Gaza early Tuesday as part of the ceasefire agreement (CBC)
Hamas also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire when Israeli forces fired at Palestinians who approached them and targeted others inspecting their homes (Middle East Monitor; Reuters)
Meanwhile, Hamas has continued its campaign to reassert control over Gaza, publicly executing rivals it accuses of collaborating with Israel (Arab News)
Trump said that Hamas had communicated it would disarm, but warned that if it does not, “we will disarm them…quickly and perhaps violently” (Reuters)
Amid these developments, U.S. President Donald Trump affirmed that “Phase Two” of his peace plan would begin immediately (NBC). The UN announced that several states, including Arab and European countries, have indicated their willingness to support a $70 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza, as leaders continue rallying support for the ceasefire deal (UN)
Hamas Releases All Remaining Living Hostages, Israel Releases Palestinian Prisoners
Hamas released the last twenty living hostages taken on October 7, 2023, and Israel has commenced the release of almost two thousand Palestinian prisoners (Haaretz;AP)
Hamas released the remaining living hostages in two groups, while a forum of hostage families said they learned that the bodies of only four deceased hostages will be returned today (Guardian)
In addition to initiating the release of Palestinian prisoners, Israel allowed more aid to flow into Gaza, the UN humanitarian agency said (UN)
Trump arrived first in Israel as part of his efforts to shore up the ceasefire (NYT)
Addressing the Knesset, he said that Israel “won all that can be won by force of arms” and that now is the time to work toward “peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East” (Haaretz)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is “committed to this peace” (Times of Israel)
Some twenty world leaders—including those of France, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Kingdom—attended today’s peace summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (Guardian)
Netanyahu did not attend due to a Jewish holiday, his office said (Reuters)
The document that world leaders signed appeared to list only broad principles about the future of Gaza, underscoring remaining hurdles to a lasting end to the war; U.S. President Donald Trump signed the document, as did the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, while warring parties Israel and Hamas did not (NYT)
Details about a stabilization force in Gaza remain undecided (AP)
Trump said that the multi-phase peace plan for Gaza was “in stage three and four,” without specifying what those phases entailed; he also said he would expand the board overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction (NYT)
Meanwhile, Hamas fighters deployed across parts of Gaza in the hours following the hostage and prisoner exchange; it had done the same as the ceasefire took effect over the weekend, killing dozens of people in a crackdown on rival groups (Reuters)
Asked about Hamas rearming in Gaza, Trump said “we gave them approval for a period of time” to “stop the problems” (ABC)
Gaza Truce Enters First Phase
Israeli troops partially withdrew from their positions in Gaza today as a ceasefire took effect in the territory (Times of Israel)
The troop pullback triggered a seventy-two-hour deadline for Hamas to release its remaining hostages as part of a ceasefire deal, while Israel also published the names of the Palestinian prisoners it plans to release as part of the swap (CNN)
Meanwhile, thousands of Gazans displaced to the territory’s south during the war began walking back north (CNN)
European and Arab Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss Plan’s Implementation
World leaders celebrated the news and the prospect of peace, as did people on the streets of Israel and Gaza (BBC;Reuters)
Secretary General António Guterres said the United States was prepared to quickly scale up humanitarian aid to Gaza once a ceasefire takes effect (NYT)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will convene his government today to approve the ceasefire and hostage release deal (Haaretz)
Trump Announces Israel and Hamas Have Agreed to Ceasefire Deal
A Qatari mediator said the first phase of the peace deal will include Hamas’s release of all hostages and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza (Reuters)
The deal will be presented to the Israeli cabinet tomorrow; once approved, the Israel Defence Forces are expected to withdraw to a predetermined line within twenty-four hours (CNN)
Hamas then has seventy-two hours to release the hostages (Guardian)
Statements from the negotiating parties did not address some of the more complex aspects of a peace proposal, including the disarmament of Hamas and the future political structure of Gaza (Axios)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that he had a “very moving and warm conversation” with President Trump, and that the two leaders congratulated each other on the deal (BBC)
Indirect negotiations were mediated by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (NBC)
The head of Turkey’s intelligence service also participated in the talks (BBC)
Hamas Mulls Gaza Deal
Marking the second anniversary of its attack on Israel, Hamas said it seeks a U.S.-brokered agreement to end the Gaza war but insists on a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and reconstruction under a Palestinian technocratic body; President Trump voiced optimism as indirect talks with Israel continued in Egypt despite major sticking points (Reuters)
Meanwhile, thousands gathered across Israel to mourn the more than 1,300 killed and 251 abducted in Hamas’s assault on southern communities two years ago, as the Gaza war enters its third year; deep political rifts persist over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and the inability to free the remaining hostages (AP)
In Europe, Greece and Slovenia received dozens of pro-Gaza activists whom Israel deported following their arrival by flotilla days earlier (BBC)
Israel and Hamas Due to Begin Indirect Talks in Egypt
Both sides have signaled broad endorsement of the plan, even as Hamas voiced reservations about some of its later phases (WaPo)
The talks will first focus on a potential exchange of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel (Economist)
Israel’s prime minister’s office said that it hopes “to conclude the talks with successes” (Times of Israel)
Trump Welcomes Response to Peace Plan
Trump wrote on social media that “very positive” talks with Hamas and countries “from all over the world” occurred over the weekend (Truth Social)
He posted a photo of a Saturday demonstration in Israel calling for a hostage deal to end the war—a stance that the majority of Israelis support (Truth Social;NYT)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington wants to see “very fast” progress on a potential exchange of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel (Economist)
Trump called for Israel to stop bombing Gaza after receiving Hamas’s response to his truce plan over the weekend, but Israeli strikes have continued; Gaza hospital authorities reported at least fifteen people killed (CNN)
Hamas Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages
Hamas said it was ready to discuss releasing its hostages within the plan’s framework but maintained it should be part of discussions on the future of Gaza (Reuters)
The plan, however, calls for Hamas to disarm and have no political role in Gaza’s future (CNN)
Trump designated Sunday, October 5, 6:00 p.m. ET as a deadline for Hamas to accept his plan for Gaza’s future, vowing that the group would otherwise be destroyed militarily (Reuters)
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli air and ground attacks killed at least fifty-seven Palestinians, while Israel’s navy intercepted the final vessel of the 44-ship Global Sumud Flotilla, detaining about 500 activists who sought to breach the blockade; rights groups condemned the mass arrests as illegal (Al Jazeera; AP).
Israel Seals Gaza City
Israeli tanks blocked the main southern route from Gaza City, with Defense Minister Israel Katz calling it the “last opportunity” for hundreds of thousands still inside to leave as the army expands its offensive to isolate Hamas (Reuters)
Gaza Aid Boats Blocked
Israeli forces intercepted more than a dozen boats sailing to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and protest Israel’s war (NYT)
Organizers of the flotilla—which included more than five hundred participants from dozens of countries—called the interception an “illegal attack” on humanitarians; Israel countered that the activists were “not interested in aid, but provocation” (CNN)
Israel maintains a blockade around Gaza and tightly controls what aid can enter, even as Gazans in parts of the enclave have been suffering from famine (CFR)
Middle East and European Leaders Welcome U.S. Plan for Gaza
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates announced their readiness to finalize and implement the plan, which they stated should lead to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Haaretz)
The Palestinian Authority called Trump’s peace efforts “sincere and determined” (BBC)
The leaders of France, Germany, India, Italy, and the United Kingdom also welcomed it (TIME)
Qatar is holding talks with Hamas negotiators and representatives from Turkey today (Guardian)
In Gaza, Israeli forces shot and shelled civilians seeking aid in the Netzarim corridor and struck sites in Muwasi and Nuseirat, killing at least thirty-one Palestinians (AP)
Netanyahu Endorses Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release plan is nearing agreement, though both Israel and Hamas “will come out somewhat unhappy” (Times of Israel)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the plan at the White House (AP)
The plan would see Palestinians allowed to stay in Gaza, Hamas release all remaining hostages and disarm, and an international stabilization force deployed to the territory (Reuters)
Trump said that if Hamas rejects the proposal, he would fully back Israel’s course of action (NPR)
Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media following his White House visit that Israeli forces would “remain in most of the territory” as part of the plan (Guardian)
He reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state; Trump had also acknowledged that opposition in the joint press conference (Axios)
Meanwhile, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed warned Netanyahu against annexing the West Bank, urging him to accept Trump’s Gaza peace framework instead, while suggesting that annexation could undermine further normalization with Arab and Muslim states (Reuters)
Hamas Lost Contact With Two Hostages During Israeli Assault on Gaza City
Hamas’s armed wing called on Israel to halt operations in the area while it looked for them; the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the request (Reuters)
Israeli Airstrikes Kill Dozens in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least fifty-nine people across Gaza, including in camps, residential homes, and tents in Gaza City and Shati, while others were reportedly shot while seeking aid; the attacks come as hospitals face collapse and famine conditions worsen in northern Gaza (AP)