Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Israel and Hamas have begun to implement the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s twenty-point peace deal. Under the agreement’s terms, Hamas has released all living hostages and promised to release the remains of others it holds, while Israel has freed about two thousand Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and withdrawn its forces to a predetermined line, leaving it in control of 53 percent of the Gaza Strip. The United Nations has also drastically scaled up aid to the territory. The status of other challenging issues, however, including the disarmament of Hamas and Gaza’s future governance structure, remains unclear.
Background on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The movement for a Jewish state gained traction in the nineteenth century, as Jews increasingly migrated to Ottoman Palestine to escape antisemitism in Europe and return to a land intimately linked to Jewish religion, culture, and history. That trend developed new urgency in the 1930s due to Nazi persecution and after the Holocaust during World War II, in which Nazi Germany killed six million Jews. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide what had become British-controlled Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, with areas of religious significance in Jerusalem remaining under international control. The Jewish Agency accepted Resolution 181, but the Arab League and Palestinian leaders rejected it. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was created. A day later, Israel was attacked by five Arab states, sparking the first Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in 1949 with Israel’s victory and 750,000 Palestinians displaced, in what is referred to as the Nakba, meaning “the catastrophe” in Arabic. Egypt maintained control of the Gaza Strip, Jordan took over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and roughly 750,000 Jews from across the region were forced out of their own countries and moved to Israel.
Over the following years, tensions rose in the region, particularly between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Following the 1956 Suez Crisis and Britain, France, and Israel’s joint invasion of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria signed mutual defense pacts in anticipation of a possible mobilization of Israeli troops. After Egyptian President Abdel Gamal Nasser requested the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the Sinai Peninsula, closed the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping, and threatened war, Israel preemptively attacked Egyptian and Syrian air forces, starting the Six Day War in June 1967. Israel gained territorial control over the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Later that year, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 242, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied during the war and affirming the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political freedom of every state in the region, referring primarily to Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Although the resolution was never fully implemented, the land-for-peace principle became the basis for later efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Six years later, in what is referred to as the Yom Kippur War or the October War, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise two-front attack on Israel to regain their lost territory. The conflict did not result in significant gains for Egypt, Israel, or Syria. Still, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat declared the war a victory, as it enabled Egypt and Syria to negotiate over previously ceded territory. In 1979, following a series of ceasefires and peace negotiations, representatives from Egypt and Israel signed the U.S.-brokered Camp David Accords, which culminated in a peace treaty that ended the thirty-year conflict between the two countries.
Although the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was intended to initiate negotiations over Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the question of Palestinian self-determination and self-governance remained unresolved. In 1987, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip rose up against the Israeli government in what is now commonly called the first intifada or “uprising.” The 1993 Oslo I Accords established the Palestinian Authority (PA), setting up a framework for the Palestinians to govern themselves in the West Bank and Gaza, and also enabled mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government. In 1995, the Oslo II Accords expanded on the first agreement, adding provisions that mandated the complete withdrawal of Israel from six cities and four hundred fifty towns in the West Bank.
In September 2000, fueled in part by the collapse of U.S. President Bill Clinton’s effort to reach a final political resolution of the conflict, Palestinian grievances over Israel’s control of the West Bank, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the al-Aqsa mosque—the third-holiest site in Islam—Palestinians launched the second intifada, which lasted until 2005. The second intifada was characterized by an escalation in terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups targeting Israeli civilians. In response, the Israeli government approved the construction of a barrier wall around the West Bank in 2002, despite opposition from the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Factionalism among the Palestinians intensified when Hamas won the PA’s parliamentary elections in 2006, gaining a plurality over Fatah, which had dominated the PA since its establishment. The United States and European Union, among others, refused to work with Hamas after its electoral victory, as Western governments designated the group a terrorist organization in the late 1990s. Violence broke out between Hamas and Fatah after their leaders failed to establish a joint governing arrangement. The primary source of disagreement concerned the groups’ stances toward Israel. Fatah recognizes the State of Israel, whereas Hamas’s 1988 covenant calls for the destruction of Israel and rejects a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in June 2007, and Israel and Egypt subsequently placed a blockade on the territory.
A cycle of escalatory violence between Hamas and Israel ensued in the following years, leading to worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. After Hamas refused to renew a six-month ceasefire and increased rocket fire toward southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a three-week ground invasion of Gaza in December 2008. The operation marked Israel’s first military engagement in Gaza since its 2005 withdrawal. Sparked by an increase in rocket fire, an anti-tank missile attack on an Israeli patrol, and Israel’s targeted killing of Hamas military chief Ahmad al-Jabari, Israel launched intensive air strikes in Gaza in 2012.
In the summer of 2014, Hamas kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers, setting off clashes in the Palestinian territories. Hamas then fired nearly three thousand rockets at Israel, and Israel retaliated with a major offensive in Gaza; 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed. In March of 2018, Israeli troops killed 183 Palestinians and wounded 6,000 others after some demonstrators breached the perimeter fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel and threw rocks during an otherwise peaceful protest. Just months later, Hamas militants fired more than one hundred rockets into Israel, and Israel responded with strikes on more than fifty targets in Gaza during a twenty-four-hour flare-up.
The Trump administration helped broker the 2020 Abraham Accords, under which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel, becoming only the third and fourth countries in the region—following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994—to do so. Morocco [PDF] later joined. PA leader Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah rejected the accords because they did not condition regional normalization on progress toward Palestinian statehood. Hamas also condemned the accords.
In early May 2021, after a court ruled in favor of the eviction of several Palestinian families from East Jerusalem properties, protests erupted, with Israeli police employing force against demonstrators. After several consecutive days of violence, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory, and Israel responded with artillery bombardments and air strikes. The fighting killed more than 250 Palestinians and at least 13 Israelis, wounded nearly 2,000 others, and displaced 72,000 Palestinians.
Clashes in the West Bank
In late December 2022, a coalition government including three far-right parties led by then-opposition leader Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was inaugurated. The coalition government has prioritized expanding and developing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, fueling violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. The United Nations estimated that in the first fourteen months of the Israel-Hamas war, there were at least 1,860 recorded incidents of violence in the West Bank, mostly concentrated in Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron. In January, Israel launched Operation Iron Wall, a major military action employing air strikes, gunfire, and ground force operations against militant groups in the northern West Bank. The United Nations reported that the operation has caused the longest and largest displacement crisis in the West Bank since 1967, with 30,000 Palestinians displaced and 126 killed.
Israel-Hamas War in Gaza
On October 7, 2023, Iran-backed Hamas fighters fired rockets into Israel and stormed southern Israeli communities across the border of the Gaza Strip in a surprise attack, killing more than 1,300 people, injuring 3,300, and taking hundreds of hostages. One day after the attack, the Israeli cabinet formally declared war against Hamas, followed by a directive from the defense minister to the IDF to carry out a “complete siege” of Gaza. It has been the most significant escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in several decades.
Israel launched a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip on October 27 to return all the hostages and dismantle Hamas. A weeklong ceasefire agreement was reached in late November 2023, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. Israeli forces then launched a ground offensive targeting Hamas in the city of Khan Younis, which ultimately became a siege. Israel launched an offensive in Rafah from May to July 2024 to gain control of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, further isolating Gaza. Israel’s next major offensive was in October 2024 in northern Gaza, specifically in the Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Lahiya, where Israel imposed a siege to establish a deeper security buffer along the northern border. Israeli forces expanded their operations to Beit Hanoun in November 2024.
Israel has cited military successes, including the June 2024 rescue of four living hostages in central Gaza and the elimination of Hamas’s top leadership, including the group’s leader Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed Deif, and Deif’s deputy Marwan Issa. In January 2025, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar announced that they had mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel later broke the ceasefire, citing Hamas’s refusal to release more hostages, and renewed its offensive in March 2025, launching a major military campaign across the territory, including in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
The war has led to more than sixty-seven thousand Gazan deaths, of whom the Israeli military believes twenty-three thousand were Hamas militants. Although estimates of the death toll in Gaza are contested, Israeli intelligence officials previously confirmed the accuracy of the Gazan Health Ministry’s data. Israel has argued in many cases that its actions were necessary because Hamas’s guerrilla warfare tactics often involve fighters embedding themselves in civilian areas. Since the start of Israeli operations in 2023, numerous reports have documented the targeting of journalists, schools, and Israeli-designated humanitarian zones. Israel maintains that Hamas continues to use civilian buildings, notably hospitals, for military purposes, including storing weapons and accessing its extensive, miles-long tunnel network. At least 94 percent of Gaza’s hospitals are damaged or destroyed, and there are only two thousand available hospital beds across the Gaza Strip. Similarly, Israel’s two-month total blockade of humanitarian aid, justified by Israeli officials as necessary to prevent Hamas from controlling its distribution, has led to famine-like conditions and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to the United Nations. As of August 2025, 1.9 million Gazans—about 90 percent of Gaza’s population—have been displaced and are facing acute or catastrophic food shortages.
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire agreement as part of a broader twenty-point peace framework that aims to end the war, disarm Hamas, and reconstruct Gaza under a new civilian government. As part of the truce, Hamas agreed to release all Israeli hostages still held in Gaza within three days, though it has yet to return the bodies of several slain hostages. Israel, meanwhile, eased restrictions on aid convoys entering the strip, leading to a surge in humanitarian deliveries. Since Trump’s announcement, both Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of ceasefire violations, causing skirmishes that have led to over two hundred casualties. Despite periodic flare-ups, the ceasefire has largely held.
Since the start of the ceasefire, mediators, including the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, have pushed for talks on implementing the second phase of the twenty-point framework to bring a formal end to the war and address postwar reconstruction. In early November, Turkey convened several Muslim-majority states to discuss a draft UN resolution that would grant the United States and partner countries a mandate to govern Gaza and provide security through an international force. Following the expiration of the mandate in 2027, the draft resolution proposes granting a reformed Palestinian Authority control over Gaza.
The conflict has exacerbated regional tensions across the Middle East. The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon following months of cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah, which began striking northern Israel following Hamas’s October 7 attack. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired missiles at Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea, and other Iran-backed groups have launched dozens of attacks on U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria. Iran’s support for Hamas and other regional militant groups threatening Israel, combined with concerns over the regime’s nuclear program, culminated in Israel’s decision to preemptively strike Iran in June 2025, initiating a twelve-day conflict that also led to the United States bombing the most hardened Iranian nuclear facilities. (For more on the direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, visit the “Conflict With Hezbollah in Lebanon” page. For more on Iran, visit the “Iran’s Conflict With Israel and the United States” page.)
Israeli Leaders Condemn West Bank Violence
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned surging settler violence against Palestinian civilians and Israeli military forces in the West Bank, calling for it to end (AP). Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces Eyal Zamir and the northern West Bank’s regional commander likewise condemned the violence, calling for soldiers to intervene in future instances (Times of Israel). Senior Israeli government ministers did not issue any statements, however (NBC). Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they would transfer a hostage’s body tonight (Reuters).
Israel Reopens Gaza Border Crossing
The Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza will be used to transport additional humanitarian aid, after it was shut on September 12; humanitarian groups continue to suggest that more assistance is needed in the Gaza Strip, while the UN claimed that Israel was blocking vaccines and food supplies for children (NYT; New Arab). The Israeli military continued responding to alleged ceasefire violations across Gaza, killing Palestinians who it suggested crossed the border demarcation and launching airstrikes in the north (Al Jazeera). Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump sent a formal request to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid his corruption trial; Israeli opposition leaders raised concerns about undue U.S. influence in Israeli domestic political processes (AP).
Next Steps in Gaza
Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Gaza truce; they discussed an impasse over Hamas fighters sheltering in tunnels beneath Rafah, for whom Hamas is demanding safe passage and whom Israel and the United States seek to disarm (Times of Israel). Separately, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited France, where President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would help draft a future constitution for a Palestinian state (Reuters). In the West Bank, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf, torching property and injuring four people; the army said it intervened to disperse the clashes and arrested four suspects (BBC).
Mediation Talks Stall Over Trapped Hamas Fighters
The United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are working to broker safe passage for the approximately two hundred operatives, whose fate has stalled ceasefire negotiations, as the mediators push to transition towards the second phase of the U.S. peace plan (Reuters). Meanwhile, a senior United Arab Emirates official, Anwar Gargash, affirmed that his country would not participate in the U.S.-proposed International Stabilization Force, suggesting that a “clear framework” for the force remains unclear (AFP/Times of Israel).
Hamas Rejects Calls for Fighters To Surrender
Egyptian officials and other mediators have proposed allowing about two hundred fighters trapped in a Rafah tunnel safe passage in exchange for disarmament and surrender, but Hamas rejected the call, urging mediators to instead prevent any Israeli attacks that would violate the ceasefire (Reuters).
Israel and Hamas Exchange Human Remains
Israel returned fifteen Palestinian remains to Gaza after receiving the body of an Israeli hostage; meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 69,000 Palestinians have died since the war began, as it continues searching for Palestinian bodies buried under the rubble (Al Jazeera). In the West Bank, settlers attacked Palestinian farmers, injuring at least eleven people, including journalists and medics, as settler violence surges to monthly levels not seen since at least 2006, per the UN (AP; Reuters).
U.S. Intelligence Gathered Reports of Possible Israeli Crimes
Former U.S. officials told Reuters that intelligence gathered last year showed Israeli military lawyers warned that Israel may have been committing war crimes in its Gaza campaign; the findings sparked internal debate within the Biden administration about U.S. complicity, even as it failed to alter U.S. military support for Israel (Reuters). Separately, Reuters also reported that Azerbaijan would not deploy troops to Gaza unless hostilities between Israel and Hamas cease entirely, even though Baku was an early contender for the U.S.-proposed International Stabilization Force in Gaza (Reuters).
Mediators Continue Push for International Force
The United States shared a draft resolution backing its peace plan for Gaza and authorizing a two-year governance and security force empowered to disarm Hamas, saying it has regional backing and could move to a vote within weeks; the force would deploy roughly 20,000 troops from partner states while Washington rules out sending U.S. soldiers (Reuters). Separately, the United States is pushing Israel to permit 100–200 Hamas fighters trapped in a Rafah tunnel network to leave under a conditional amnesty tied to President Trump’s Gaza plan, though Israeli leaders oppose releasing suspects implicated in attacks (Times of Israel). Israeli officials offered conflicting assessments on whether the body of slain hostage Hadar Goldin is in the tunnel system, with the military denying it possesses such information (Jerusalem Post).
Hamas Transfers Hostage As Sporadic Clashes Continue
The latest transfer of a hostage body leaves six others still in Gaza; meanwhile, Palestinian authorities reported multiple civilians killed by Israeli fire, as Israel accused individuals of crossing into Israeli-controlled areas (Reuters). Meanwhile, in Istanbul, a Hamas delegation met with Turkish intelligence officials to discuss continued efforts to maintain the ceasefire agreement (Anadolu Agency).
Gaza Ceasefire Shakily Carries On
Several Muslim-majority countries held talks on the future of Gaza in Istanbul, while the United States reportedly circulated a draft UN resolution for an international force in the territory. Countries that met in Istanbul included Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE); some are considering contributing troops for the international force (Reuters). The draft resolution would give the United States and partner countries a mandate to govern Gaza and provide security through 2027, Axios reported (Axios). The meeting discussed how to ensure “legitimacy” for the future international mission in Gaza, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said; speaking to reporters afterward, he accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement and called for Israel to allow sufficient aid into Gaza (Guardian; Al Jazeera). Israel says it is allowing hundreds of trucks of aid daily into the territory, but aid workers warn the enclave’s needs are still not being met (NYT). Despite Turkey’s role in facilitating the peace talks, Israel has said it opposes direct Turkish participation in an international force (AP). In Gaza, Israeli forces fatally shot three Palestinians near Rafah, accusing them of crossing the ceasefire demarcation line separating Israeli troops from the Gazan population; still, Israel transferred forty-five Palestinian bodies to Gazan health authorities following a hostage transfer on Sunday, suggesting the fragile agreement continues to move forward (Reuters). Meanwhile, in Israel, authorities arrested Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the IDF’s highest-ranking legal officer, after she admitted to leaking the video of Israeli troops allegedly abusing Palestinian prisoners at the Sde Teiman holding facility in July 2024 (Guardian).
Transfer of Hostage Remains
Hamas handed over the bodies of three Israeli hostages as part of an ongoing truce, while an Israeli strike killed one person in Gaza (Times of Israel).
U.S. Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Meets With Israel’s Defense Minister
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz about the U.S.-Israel defense relationship and disarming Hamas in Gaza (Times of Israel).
Gaza Ceasefire Implementation Continues
Hamas operatives are continuing to search for the bodies of slain hostages in the Gaza Strip, expanding their search scope to areas held by the Israeli military after receiving approval to do so (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, Israel returned the bodies of thirty Palestinians in return for the two hostage bodies that Hamas returned a day earlier (AP). Separately, General Dan Caine, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in Israel to discuss regional military developments (X).
Hamas Returns Bodies of Two Additional Hostages
The transfer brings the number of hostage bodies remaining in the Gaza Strip to thirteen (AP). Speaking at a ceremony for the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to initiate further strikes if Hamas again violates the ceasefire terms or if it refuses to disarm in future talks (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, the United Nations reported that aid deliveries have increased exponentially in October, although it says they remain insufficient (AFP).
Israel Resumes Ceasefire After Strikes in Gaza
Israel launched strikes in Gaza overnight that killed over one hundred people, local health officials said; the strikes came after Israel said Hamas handed over the partial remains of a body that was partly transferred earlier in the war and fired on Israeli troops in southern Gaza (AP). The Israeli military later conducted a limited airstrike hitting a weapons site in the northern Gaza Strip, although its military campaign remains halted (Reuters).
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). Israel disputes that declaration (Times of Israel).
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).
Doctors Without Borders Suspends Operations in Gaza City
Doctors Without Borders said the Israeli military’s ground offensive in Gaza City posed a danger to its staff, explaining that its clinics were encircled by Israeli forces (NYT). Additionally, the World Health Organization announced Israel’s Gaza City offensive has forced four hospitals to shut down this month, reducing the number of functioning hospitals in the Strip to fourteen (UN).
Israel Deepens Gaza City Offensive
Israeli forces pushed further into Gaza City, striking 170 targets and killing at least 19 people, according to local health officials (Reuters). Before departing for New York, Netanyahu told reporters he intended to lay out Israel’s case regarding the war in Gaza and condemn the prospect of Palestinian statehood (AP). Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing UNGA via video after the Trump administration denied him a visa, rejected the idea that Palestinians would leave their territories, called for Hamas to disarm, and said that Hamas would play no role in the postwar governance of Gaza (NYT). U.S. President Donald Trump said that he “will not allow” Israel to annex the West Bank—a step some Israeli politicians have pushed for after multiple Western countries recently recognized Palestinian statehood (CNN; NYT). In the West Bank, Israel announced it would reopen the Allenby Bridge with limited hours, having shut the crossing down for Rosh Hashanah and following an attack in which a Jordanian truck driver fatally shot two Israeli personnel; the reopening is limited to passenger travel, as aid shipments to Gaza remain suspended pending new security measures and an investigation into the shooting (AFP). Meanwhile, Microsoft announced that it had disabled some of its services to the Israeli military, saying that mass surveillance of civilians violated its terms of service (AP; Microsoft).
Witkoff Presents Peace Plan to Muslim-Majority Countries
U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff added that he believed the 21-point peace plan addressed both Israeli and regional concerns (Reuters). Trump separately told Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow Israel to annex part of the West Bank, meeting attendees told multiple news outlets (FT). Those leaders said that West Bank annexation would imperil the Abraham Accords, Trump’s first-term deal that saw Israel normalize ties with multiple Arab countries (Politico).
Israel Closes Allenby Bridge Crossing to Jordan
Israel indefinitely shut the Allenby Crossing, the main gateway between the West Bank and Jordan, following last week’s deadly attack; Israel had previously reopened the bridge following an earlier closure (Reuters). Palestinian authorities called the closure a form of collective punishment, while analysts suggested it may also be a response to the recent wave of international recognition of Palestinian statehood (Al Jazeera). Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City, as the IDF suggests it is targeting Hamas infrastructure; hospitals have shut down amid shortages, with the Red Cross describing “astronomical levels of need” (CNN).
Israel Reopens Allenby Crossing Following Deadly Attack
Israel reopened the Allenby Crossing to car traffic four days after a Jordanian aid truck driver killed two Israeli soldiers; the crossing remains closed to Gaza-bound aid shipments pending Jordan’s investigation and updated driver inspections (Times of Israel).
Australia, Canada, Portugal, and UK Recognize Palestinian Statehood
The four Western countries called for peace and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (NYT). The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority welcomed the move, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian state “will not happen” and that those endorsing Palestinian statehood following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel were rewarding terrorism (Reuters). Netanyahu—who is due to speak at the UN on Friday and meet with U.S. President Donald Trump this week—said that Israel would announce its official response to recognition in the coming days (Times of Israel).
Israeli Forces Kill Dozens in Gaza Amid Intensified Assault
Israeli forces killed at least ninety-one Palestinians in Gaza, medics said, including individuals sheltering in schools and residential homes; the attacks occurred as part of Israel’s ongoing push to seize Gaza City (Al Jazeera).
Israel Halts Gaza Aid Through Jordan After Deadly Allenby Crossing Attack
The IDF suspended humanitarian shipments from Jordan and closed the Allenby Crossing after a Jordanian truck driver fatally shot two Israeli soldiers; Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered stricter inspections of aid trucks and drivers moving forward (Times of Israel).
Israeli Military Operation Advances in Gaza City
Gaza experienced a telecommunications blackout as Israeli forces pressed deeper into Gaza City, leaving nearly one million Palestinians without phone or internet access (Middle East Eye). At least eighty-five Palestinians were killed across the territory, the Gaza Health Ministry said (Reuters). In the Jordan Valley, a Jordanian driver carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza fatally shot two Israelis at the Allenby Crossing with Jordan (Jerusalem Post). Meanwhile, the United States and Israel issued formal complaints accusing UN staff in Geneva of political bias after hundreds protested the killing of aid workers in Gaza (Reuters). In New York, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, saying it did not sufficiently condemn Hamas (AP).
EU Weighs Steps Against Israel
The European Commission today officially proposed suspending part of the European Union’s trade agreement with Israel and sanctioning two hardline Israeli cabinet members, along with Israeli settlers and Hamas members; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the measures sought to “improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza” (Politico). It was not immediately clear that the steps had sufficient support to pass (Reuters).
Israel Expands Ground Assault in Gaza City
After Israel bombarded Gaza City heavily overnight, the West Bank-based Palestinian foreign ministry called today for an “urgent international intervention” to protect civilians, while several world leaders called for a halt to the offensive (BBC; BBC). A UN commission investigating the war said that Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention; Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the determination (NYT). After concluding his visit to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled on to Qatar, which has been rallying Gulf allies following last week’s Israeli attack targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha (FT). In the wake of the Doha strike, Rubio said that the United States will soon finalize an enhanced military partnership deal with Qatar, one of its closest regional allies (Reuters).
Marco Rubio Visits Israel
Rubio discussed the U.S. stance on the war in Gaza during his visit, telling reporters that while Washington is working towards a peace agreement, “we’re not counting on that” (NYT). Rubio said in Israel that U.S. President Donald Trump wants the war “to be finished” and that Washington would continue to pursue a diplomatic end to the conflict (WaPo). He added that there was only a “short window” to achieve a truce (Al Jazeera). Rubio said ahead of the trip that Washington is “not happy” about the strike, which risked undermining Gaza truce talks (Times of Israel). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference with Rubio that Israel would prefer Hamas “surrender;” he said that Israel would “take over and destroy” a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City (State). Israeli forces escalated operations in Gaza, flattening high-rise buildings and killing at least thirteen Palestinians, with malnutrition deaths continuing amid worsening humanitarian conditions (AP). Leaders from multiple Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, convened in Doha to condemn Israel’s strike, but did not immediately commit to concrete consequences; in a joint statement, the countries vowed to take “legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people” (FT).
UN General Assembly Backs Two-State Solution Despite Israeli Opposition
The body voted 142–10 to endorse the New York Declaration, which outlined a phased plan for a Palestinian state, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent a Palestinian state (AP).
Netanyahu’s West Bank Escalation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed plans to expand a settlement that would cut across the West Bank, saying “there will be no Palestinian state;” in the past, Israel had avoided moving forward with the plan, known as E1, amid international condemnation (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, Germany is now among the countries expected to back a France-led proposal for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, unnamed sources told multiple news outlets (Bloomberg).
UN on Qatar Strike
The UN Security Council’s fifteen members agreed to a statement that condemned Israel’s Tuesday strikes in Doha that targeted Hamas officials; the statement did not name Israel but voiced support for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar” (Reuters).
Israel Strikes Hamas in Qatar
Israel announced it carried out a strike against senior Hamas leaders (BBC). A senior Israeli official told media outlets the strike targeted Hamas’s lead negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya, among others (CNN). Hamas later announced that its senior leadership team was unharmed, but five lower-level members and a member of the Qatari security forces were killed (BBC). Qatar’s foreign minister said the country only learned about the strike as the bombs were falling, while the prime minister described it as “state terrorism” (Al Jazeera). The White House said the strike “does not advance Israel or America’s goals” (Economist). The United States said Israel notified it of the impending attack, but U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was “very unhappy about the way that it went down;” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “wholly independent Israeli operation" (BBC). Qatar, which is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and hosts a U.S. military base, had been a mediator in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas (AP). Gulf countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned the attack, which Riyadh called “a flagrant violation of international laws and norms” (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesperson ordered all remaining one million residents of Gaza City to evacuate today as Israel prepares to operate in the area with “great force;” though the military already issued evacuation orders for parts of the city, only 10 percent of residents had left as of last Wednesday (CNN). Israel says the operation is necessary to defeat Hamas, while the UN humanitarian office warned last week that it would lead to civilian “catastrophe” (NYT).
Palestinian Gunmen Kill Six at Jerusalem Bus Stop
The attack injured twenty others at Ramot Junction on the outskirts of Jerusalem; Israel alleged the two gunmen were from the West Bank (Reuters). In Gaza City, Israel threatened a “mighty hurricane” of drone strikes to force Hamas to capitulate; Hamas said it was studying the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal (Reuters).
Israel’s Advance in Gaza City
The Israeli military said that it now controls 40 percent of Gaza’s main population center and plans to expand its military offensive there in the coming days (Times of Israel). Israeli attacks killed at least fifty-three people across Gaza, Gaza health authorities said; Israel has told civilians to leave Gaza City, but many have stayed put in fear that there is no safe place to go (Times of Israel).
Smotrich Calls for Annexation of West Bank
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said most of the territory should be annexed in the latest effort to block the possibility of a Palestinian state (NYT). His threat came after a string of countries have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at this month’s UN General Assembly (CFR). The call prompted public rebuke from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which normalized ties with Israel in 2020 (BBC). The UAE’s condition for signing the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel was that Israel suspend plans to annex parts of the West Bank; Israeli officials say that commitment has expired (Axios). In Gaza, Hamas said that it was ready for a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all Israeli hostages; Netanyahu called that statement “another spin by Hamas” (Reuters). He said the war would only end if, in addition to the hostage release, Hamas and Gaza were demilitarized, Israel established security control over the enclave, and an alternative civilian administration were established (Times of Israel). A Palestinian-American activist who has been mediating between Hamas and the Trump administration said that a comprehensive U.S. proposal to end the war in Gaza and free all hostages is on the table (Times of Israel).
Israeli Reservists Mobilize
Thousands of Israeli reservists started mobilizing for duty while Israel ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate south as plans move forward for an Israeli offensive there; an estimated twenty thousand people have evacuated the city in the past two weeks, the United Nations said, while almost a million—nearly half of Gaza’s population—are still there (BBC). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the operation aims to defeat Hamas and ensure the release of hostages (Reuters).
U.S. Restricts Palestinian Visitors
The Trump administration has stopped issuing most kinds of visas to Palestinian passport holders; the State Department told the New York Times that the step was in compliance with U.S. national security without giving further details (NYT). Last month, Washington paused visa approvals for Palestinians from Gaza and Palestinian officials who hoped to attend the UN General Assembly (AP).
Israeli Strike on Hospital in Southern Gaza
An Israeli strike on Southern Gaza’s main hospital reportedly killed at least twenty people, including multiple journalists (CBS). The journalists worked for publications such as Reuters, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera, the outlets confirmed (BBC). Israel said it would investigate the strike and regretted any harm to “uninvolved individuals” (BBC). Palestinians have been fleeing toward the territory’s south as Israel begins a military takeover of Gaza City, where a UN-backed group declared a “man-made” famine on Friday (CNN).
IPC: “Entirely Man-Made” Famine Occurring in and Around Gaza City
The UN-backed global hunger monitor said that conditions elsewhere in northern Gaza were “similar or worse,” but did not officially declare a famine there due to challenges in gathering evidence (FT). The declaration comes as Israeli security forces advanced into the outskirts of Gaza City to begin a declared military takeover (Reuters).
Netanyahu Resumes Hostage Negotiations
Israel is still proceeding with its Gaza City operation (CNN).
Israel Weighs Truce vs. Gaza City Invasion
Israel is reviewing a Hamas-approved plan for a Gaza ceasefire while it simultaneously moves forward with plans for a major offensive (Times of Israel). Egyptian and Qatari mediators proposed the draft deal; it would see a phased release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners while increasing aid to the enclave (NBC). Qatar stated that this truce was almost identical to a version that the United States had previously suggested—and Israel had backed (BBC). Unnamed senior Hamas and Egyptian officials outlined the plan to Reuters, which would stipulate that Israel allow the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to distribute aid in Gaza, and the Israeli army would partially withdraw to a zone slightly more than half a mile wide on the territory’s northern and eastern borders (Reuters). Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister approved the call-up of about sixty thousand Israeli reservists to invade Gaza City, the territory’s largest population center (France24). Israel’s military offensive is expected to displace an estimated one million Palestinians in Gaza to the enclave’s south (Times of Israel). The announcement of the offensive earlier this month sparked international criticism, especially due to humanitarian concerns and potential violations of international law (EuroNews). In the West Bank, Israel gave final approval for a settlement plan that would divide the territory (AP). It had been on hold for decades amid international opposition; Israel’s West Bank settlements are considered illegal (BBC). Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move would “erase” the idea of a Palestinian state after several Western countries had in recent weeks said they would recognize one (Haaretz). U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis was not a “high priority” for the Trump administration (Le Monde).
Gazan Health Ministry: 266 Palestinians Have Died of Famine and Malnutrition
Three adults died from starvation and malnutrition in the last twenty-four hours, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths in the enclave to 266 (Guardian). Meanwhile, Israeli attacks killed forty-eight people across Gaza, the civil defense agency said (France 24). Additionally, the United Nations reported a 31 percent increase in global aid worker deaths in 2024, driven primarily by the war in Gaza, where 181 aid workers were killed (UN).
Hamas Accepts Arab-Mediated Ceasefire Plan
While senior official Basem Naim did not give further details, an unnamed Egyptian official told the Associated Press that the proposal is similar to a previous one accepted by Israel and stipulates the negotiation of a lasting ceasefire; Egypt and Qatar sent the proposal to Israel, a senior Egyptian official said (AP).
Hundreds of Thousands of Demonstrators Call for Return of Israeli Hostages and End to Gaza War
It was one of the largest protests in Israel since the war began; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the demonstrations only “harden Hamas’s stance” and further delay the release of hostages (CNN).