On 9 October 2025, US president Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20 point peace plan for Gaza, leaving Israel with 53% of Gaza.
A military force of around 200 US troops monitored the ceasefire from Israel, however no US forces were positioned on the ground in Gaza.
The deal was agreed based on Hamas releasing all 48 Israeli and foreign hostages, though just 20 are thought to be alive. This is in exchange for around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
The Israeli government arranged for the handovers to take place “without any public ceremonies or media coverage” in order to prevent any highly choreographed displays by Hamas. This resulted in tear gas being fired by Israeli forces at the Palestinians who stood awaiting prisoner releases.
Hamas were given 72 hours to release hostages between Friday October 10 at 10.00 BST until Monday 13 October at 10:00 BST.
However, out of the 28 deceased Israeli hostages, only four bodies were released on Monday. As of writing, 13 bodies have now been located and returned by Hamas as they claim that recovery is taking longer than expected.
Israel’s defence minister has ensured that “any delay or deliberate avoidance” in returning the hostages will be “considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly”.
Meanwhile, Israel has freed the 250 Palestinians serving long term sentences in Israeli prisons, as well as 1,700 others detained in Gaza during the war.
Those freed from the occupied West Bank were moved to Ofer prison and those set to be deported through the Rafah crossing or released into Gaza were moved to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel.
The Israeli justice ministry excluded seven high profile prisoners from release, including popular political figure Marwan Barghouti. The individuals kept behind are those deemed as “terrorist masterminds” by Israel, despite being known as symbols of resistance for Palestinians.
Thousands of Palestinians were seen walking from the south of Gaza towards Gaza City to make their return as the first 400 aid trucks arrived from Egypt on 12 October.
Since then, aid continues to slowly enter Gaza, largely through the Kerem Shalom crossing as the Rafah crossing will “remain closed” until further notice. Netanyahu has noted that re-opening the crossing will depend on how Hamas fulfil the agreement to return all 28 deceased hostages.
Meanwhile, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has told the BBC that the volume of aid getting into Gaza remains “way below what is needed”.
The first stages of the ceasefire saw US President Donald Trump visit Israel, where he was thanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his “unremitting help” in securing a ceasefire deal and ensuring the return of the hostages. Netanyahu described him as “the greatest friend” Israel has ever had in The White House.
Trump himself gave a lengthy speech to the Knesset during his visit, where he celebrated the end of the war and praised Netanyahu, suggesting that he deserved a pardon.
Following the handover, Trump flew to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for a global summit where the peace deal was officially signed; hailed as a “historic day” where “peace in the Middle East” has been finally achieved.
Despite this, recent days have seen worrying updates in the area. With the IDF still remaining in Gaza, a spokesperson had warned people to avoid approaching them as they will “continue to remove any immediate threat.”
This promise was upheld on 19 October as Israeli forces launched a wave of strikes which have reportedly killed at least 44 people. Netanyahu’s office stated that this was in retaliation to the killing of two Israeli soldiers near Rafah by Hamas, who have in turn denied any knowledge of the attack.
Israel forces continue to attack any individual they claim cross the yellow line that marks their occupied territory. The yellow line extends from south of northern Gaza down to the outskirts of Rafah in southern Gaza.
Notably, the morning of the 20 October saw the IDF fire at several individuals who they say posed an “immediate threat” to soldiers in the Shujaiys area of northern Gaza by crossing the line. By the afternoon, local sources east of the city were reporting that three more Palestinians had been killed by Israeli tank fire under the same principle.
Gaza’s Media Office has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with Hamas 47 times since the terms came into effect in early October.
Earlier this week, President Trump took to Truth Social to emphasise that “if Hamas continue to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
Nonetheless, the Israel military has said that it will resume the enforcement of the ceasefire in Gaza, with Trump reinforcing that the agreement remained in place.
US Vice-President JD Vance also paid a visit to Israel on Tuesday 21 October, expressing his unwavering “great optimism” over the peace deal.
Since 7 October 2023, 68,000 have been killed by the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Famine has been confirmed, with the Guardian describing the region as “devastated” in both human and physical terms.
The conflict has been confirmed by a UN Commission of Inquiry as a genocide against the Palestinian people.
