October 10, 2025
Ahmed Dremly
Displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect on 10 October 2025The Israeli military said the
ceasefire officially began at 12pm local time (9am GMT) after the completion of
its withdrawal to agreed-upon lines of the first phase. There was no immediate
comment from Hamas.
The Israeli government ratified the agreement on Friday morning, just hours after Hamas announced that a deal had been reached.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, on Thursday published a leaked copy of the agreement's first phase signed in Egypt, which states that the war would “immediately end” once approved by Israel.
The document also specifies that the first step in implementation will be a formal announcement by US President Donald Trump declaring the end of the war in Gaza.
Trump is expected to visit Egypt over the weekend to attend an official signing ceremony, followed by a visit to Israel on Monday.
On Thursday, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya confirmed that the Palestinian movement had also approved the agreement to end the war.
He added that the United States and other mediators had provided guarantees that the signing of the deal would mean the war “has ended indefinitely”.
However, Israeli air strikes, artillery fire and gunfire were reported in Gaza City and Khan Younis on Friday morning. No injuries were reported.
Israeli forces also carried out bombings in Gaza on Thursday, after mediators announced a deal had been reached, killing at least eight Palestinians.
'Taking it in'
By midday on Friday, Israeli tanks had withdrawn from al-Rashid Road, which stretches from southern to northern Gaza and had previously been blocked to prevent displaced people from returning home.
As soon as the troops withdrew, thousands of people were seen flooding back to Gaza City on foot along the road.
Bilal Abu Madin, a Gaza resident, stood by the roadside for over an hour, witnessing thousands of people returning to their war-torn city from which they had been forcibly expelled.
He told Middle East Eye: “I’m here looking at the people returning and I can’t believe it after everything we’ve been through. Is what we’re seeing real or a lie?
“We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to return to the north, but it seems we’ve reached the end [of the war].”
Abu Madin said he was with friends in central Gaza when they heard the news that al-Rashid Road had been reopened. They immediately grabbed their belongings and headed straight back, he said.
“I’ll stay here watching for a while to take it all in, then I’ll go to Gaza City,” he added.
“Because when you return, everything there will be destroyed.
“We’ve seen things in this war that even movies couldn’t come up with. I lost many friends in this war.”
Abu Madin said he has no message for the world because they have witnessed everything Palestinians have been through.
“I hope to see Gaza great again and to see Gaza rebuilt.”
The next stage of the agreement is scheduled for midday on Monday - 72 hours after the withdrawal is complete - when 20 living Israeli captives and several bodies are expected to be released. In exchange, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences.
However, the list of those to be freed has not yet been finalised. Reports on Thursday indicated ongoing disagreements over the identities of several prisoners, with Hamas pushing for the release of high-profile figures, and Israel objecting.
Among the six reportedly disputed names are Marwan Barghouti, a popular Fatah military leader; Ahmad Sa’adat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; and senior Hamas figures Hassan Salama, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed and Abbas al-Sayed.
At least 400 aid trucks are also expected to enter Gaza, though there have been no reports of their arrival so far.
Next stage
The ceasefire deal marks the first phase of the US's so-called "peace plan", with further stages to be negotiated at a later date.
These are expected to include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of international troops in the territory.
Neither Hamas, Israel, nor the mediators have clarified the timeline for these talks.
It also remains unclear whether the continuation of the ceasefire depends on agreement over the subsequent stages.
The war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023, following a surprise Hamas-led attack on Israel. Hamas cited Israel’s decades-long occupation, growing violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the crippling blockade of Gaza, and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners as the main reasons for its assault.
The Israeli army's southern command - stationed along the Gaza boundary and tasked with monitoring Palestinians, enforcing the blockade and routinely bombing the enclave - collapsed during the initial hours of the Hamas attack, resulting in widespread chaos.
Palestinians killed at least 1,180 people in the assault, with more than 700 additional deaths reported in the fighting since. Nearly half of Israel’s total death toll is civilians, while the remainder are soldiers.
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, followed by a devastating ground invasion that lasted two years, accompanied by a strict siege on the population.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, over 80 percent of whom are believed to be civilians, according to leaked data from the Israeli military.
The assault also caused widespread famine and led to the destruction or damage of nearly every standing structure in Gaza - including homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches.
Numerous international bodies, UN experts and countries have classified Israel’s actions as acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
October 9, 2025
Dave DeCamp
The US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to “support and monitor” the Gaza ceasefire deal, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing US officials.
The officials said that US troops are being deployed as part of a team that will include partner nations, NGOs, and other private companies. US Central Command will establish a “civil-military coordination center” that will help ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and provide “logistical and security assistance.”
One of the officials said that no US troops will be sent to Gaza. However, according to a report from Middle East Eye, Egypt has informed the US that it wants US military personnel to be part of the peacekeeping force that is expected to be established by the Gaza ceasefire deal.
A second US official told the AP that US troops have already started arriving in Israel to establish the ceasefire coordination center. Another official said that some of them are coming from CENTCOM, while others are heading to Israel from other parts of the globe, although White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the troops are already stationed in the Middle East.
Leavitt claimed a report of the US deploying troops to Israel was “not true,” but then confirmed the US was sending military personnel to the country. “To be clear: up to 200 US personnel, who are already stationed at CENTCOM, will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel, and they will work with other international forces on the ground,” she wrote on X.
The US already has at least 100 troops inside Israel to operate the two THAAD missile interceptors that the US has deployed to Israel. The US deployed the first THAAD in 2024 and the second one this year, and the systems fired about 150 interceptors to defend Israel during the 12-Day US-Israeli war against Iran, costing at least $2 billion.
Brown University’s Costs of War project said in a report issued on Tuesday that the US has spent between $30 billion and $33 billion on supporting Israel since October 7, 2023, a number that includes direct military aid and US military operations launched in support of Israel.
Israeli Government Approves First Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Deal
According to Israeli media, the approval means that a ceasefire has now gone into effect, but Israeli strikes continue
The Israeli government approved the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal early Friday morning during a meeting that included US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
According to The Times of Israel, the approval of the deal now means that a ceasefire is in effect. However, Al Jazeera reported an Israeli airstrike and shelling in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and attacks east of Gaza City early Friday morning.
The IDF continued to bomb Gaza on Thursday, including a strike in Gaza City that killed at least four Palestinians and left 40 missing under the rubble. The UN has said that it’s ready to surge aid into Gaza to bring relief to the starving population.
Under the deal, Hamas will release all remaining Israeli captives within 72 hours in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Within 24 hours, Israel will pull its troops back from some areas of Gaza, but the IDF will retain control of more than 50% of the Palestinian territory.
Dropping its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the release of all the Israeli hostages was a significant concession from Hamas, which says it has received a guarantee from the US that Israel won’t restart its genocidal war.
“We received guarantees from the mediators and from the US administration, and everyone confirmed that the war has completely ended. We will continue to work with all national and Islamic forces to complete the next steps,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official who Israel recently tried to assassinate in Qatar.
Many details of the long-term implementation of the ceasefire deal still need to be worked out, but President Trump is insisting that he has “ended the war” and that the deal will lead to an “everlasting peace.”
According to a report from Israel Hayom, the US has given Israel a guarantee that it would back Israeli military action if it determined Hamas violated the deal in a way that “poses a security threat.” The report said the understanding “constitutes a side agreement” between the US and Israel.
The US gave Israel a similar side deal for the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement, which Israel continues to violate on a near-daily basis.
Israeli Strike on Gaza City Kill Four, Buries Dozens Under Rubble
An Israeli airstrike in the al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on Thursday night killed at least four Palestinians and buried dozens under the rubble.
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, about 40 people were missing after the strike, and rescue efforts continue. The strike on Thursday came despite President Trump’s announcement the night before that Israel and Hamas agreed to the “first phase” of a Gaza ceasefire deal. Early Friday morning, the Israeli government formally approved the deal, meaning the ceasefire has officially taken hold.
WAFA also reported that the airstrikes in Gaza City brought Thursday’s death toll to 29, though the number includes bodies of Palestinians killed in previous attacks that were recovered from the rubble.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily update on Thursday, which it releases about midday Gaza time, that at least 10 Palestinians were killed and 49 were injured over the previous 24-hour period. Among the dead were two Palestinians killed while attempting to get aid.
Israeli attacks on Thursday included strikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis. According to WAFA, at least one Palestinian was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis and another was killed by a drone attack in the city. Another person was killed by Israeli gunfire to the northwest of the city.
In Gaza City, several people were injured by a drone attack near the al-Yarmouk School in the western part of the city. Airstrikes were also reported in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, which Israeli forces have turned into a wasteland since launching an offensive in the area in early August.
The Health Ministry said that its total violent death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 67,194, and the number of wounded has climbed to 169,890. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.
Kyle Anzalone
Following Hamas’s kidnapping of over 250 Israelis during the October 7, 2023, attack, the Israeli government did not make saving the lives of the hostages a priority.
Internal communications within the upper levels of the Israeli government in the aftermath of the Hamas assault were released by Israel Channel 12. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the government to “ignore” the hostages.
Then Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant argued that Israel should not negotiate for the release of the hostages and that rescuing the captives should not be a goal. “We are proposing a plan of action, here are its components: Stabilization of defense — close the border; denial of military and governmental capabilities (for Hamas) and changing defense agreements; creating deterrence — they made a mistake!” He added, “Our response won’t be proportional either; hostages — not among our objectives, but they center and guide us.”
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Gallan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes committed in Gaza.
The belief in Israel that it cannot prioritize the hostages is a legacy of the Second Lebanon War. Then Israel tried to free the captive soldiers and failed. Tel Aviv made a deal with Hezbollah to release the captives.
Then-IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi argued not to “attach the hostages and missing to the (war’s) objectives. That needs to be our lesson from the Second Lebanon War.”
However, after two years of failing to free the Israeli hostages, on Wednesday, Tel Aviv agreed to a prisoner exchange with Hamas. Hamas has agreed to free the 48 remaining captives in exchange for Israel releasing 250 lifetime prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians who were detained over the past two years.
Ahmed Dremly
After
two years of genocide and repeated displacement, Israel and Hamas agree on deal
to end the war
Thousands of Palestinians began
returning to northern Gaza on Friday after a ceasefire took effect, following
Israel and Hamas’s approval of a deal to "end the war" and exchange
prisoners.
The Israeli government ratified the agreement on Friday morning, just hours after Hamas announced that a deal had been reached.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, on Thursday published a leaked copy of the agreement's first phase signed in Egypt, which states that the war would “immediately end” once approved by Israel.
The document also specifies that the first step in implementation will be a formal announcement by US President Donald Trump declaring the end of the war in Gaza.
Trump is expected to visit Egypt over the weekend to attend an official signing ceremony, followed by a visit to Israel on Monday.
On Thursday, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya confirmed that the Palestinian movement had also approved the agreement to end the war.
He added that the United States and other mediators had provided guarantees that the signing of the deal would mean the war “has ended indefinitely”.
However, Israeli air strikes, artillery fire and gunfire were reported in Gaza City and Khan Younis on Friday morning. No injuries were reported.
Israeli forces also carried out bombings in Gaza on Thursday, after mediators announced a deal had been reached, killing at least eight Palestinians.
'Taking it in'
By midday on Friday, Israeli tanks had withdrawn from al-Rashid Road, which stretches from southern to northern Gaza and had previously been blocked to prevent displaced people from returning home.
As soon as the troops withdrew, thousands of people were seen flooding back to Gaza City on foot along the road.
Bilal Abu Madin, a Gaza resident, stood by the roadside for over an hour, witnessing thousands of people returning to their war-torn city from which they had been forcibly expelled.
He told Middle East Eye: “I’m here looking at the people returning and I can’t believe it after everything we’ve been through. Is what we’re seeing real or a lie?
“We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to return to the north, but it seems we’ve reached the end [of the war].”
Abu Madin said he was with friends in central Gaza when they heard the news that al-Rashid Road had been reopened. They immediately grabbed their belongings and headed straight back, he said.
“I’ll stay here watching for a while to take it all in, then I’ll go to Gaza City,” he added.
“Because when you return, everything there will be destroyed.
“We’ve seen things in this war that even movies couldn’t come up with. I lost many friends in this war.”
Abu Madin said he has no message for the world because they have witnessed everything Palestinians have been through.
“I hope to see Gaza great again and to see Gaza rebuilt.”
The next stage of the agreement is scheduled for midday on Monday - 72 hours after the withdrawal is complete - when 20 living Israeli captives and several bodies are expected to be released. In exchange, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences.
However, the list of those to be freed has not yet been finalised. Reports on Thursday indicated ongoing disagreements over the identities of several prisoners, with Hamas pushing for the release of high-profile figures, and Israel objecting.
Among the six reportedly disputed names are Marwan Barghouti, a popular Fatah military leader; Ahmad Sa’adat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; and senior Hamas figures Hassan Salama, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed and Abbas al-Sayed.
At least 400 aid trucks are also expected to enter Gaza, though there have been no reports of their arrival so far.
Next stage
The ceasefire deal marks the first phase of the US's so-called "peace plan", with further stages to be negotiated at a later date.
These are expected to include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of international troops in the territory.
Neither Hamas, Israel, nor the mediators have clarified the timeline for these talks.
It also remains unclear whether the continuation of the ceasefire depends on agreement over the subsequent stages.
The war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023, following a surprise Hamas-led attack on Israel. Hamas cited Israel’s decades-long occupation, growing violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the crippling blockade of Gaza, and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners as the main reasons for its assault.
The Israeli army's southern command - stationed along the Gaza boundary and tasked with monitoring Palestinians, enforcing the blockade and routinely bombing the enclave - collapsed during the initial hours of the Hamas attack, resulting in widespread chaos.
Palestinians killed at least 1,180 people in the assault, with more than 700 additional deaths reported in the fighting since. Nearly half of Israel’s total death toll is civilians, while the remainder are soldiers.
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, followed by a devastating ground invasion that lasted two years, accompanied by a strict siege on the population.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, over 80 percent of whom are believed to be civilians, according to leaked data from the Israeli military.
The assault also caused widespread famine and led to the destruction or damage of nearly every standing structure in Gaza - including homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches.
Numerous international bodies, UN experts and countries have classified Israel’s actions as acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Dave DeCamp
The US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to “support and monitor” the Gaza ceasefire deal, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing US officials.
The officials said that US troops are being deployed as part of a team that will include partner nations, NGOs, and other private companies. US Central Command will establish a “civil-military coordination center” that will help ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and provide “logistical and security assistance.”
One of the officials said that no US troops will be sent to Gaza. However, according to a report from Middle East Eye, Egypt has informed the US that it wants US military personnel to be part of the peacekeeping force that is expected to be established by the Gaza ceasefire deal.
A second US official told the AP that US troops have already started arriving in Israel to establish the ceasefire coordination center. Another official said that some of them are coming from CENTCOM, while others are heading to Israel from other parts of the globe, although White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the troops are already stationed in the Middle East.
Leavitt claimed a report of the US deploying troops to Israel was “not true,” but then confirmed the US was sending military personnel to the country. “To be clear: up to 200 US personnel, who are already stationed at CENTCOM, will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel, and they will work with other international forces on the ground,” she wrote on X.
The US already has at least 100 troops inside Israel to operate the two THAAD missile interceptors that the US has deployed to Israel. The US deployed the first THAAD in 2024 and the second one this year, and the systems fired about 150 interceptors to defend Israel during the 12-Day US-Israeli war against Iran, costing at least $2 billion.
Brown University’s Costs of War project said in a report issued on Tuesday that the US has spent between $30 billion and $33 billion on supporting Israel since October 7, 2023, a number that includes direct military aid and US military operations launched in support of Israel.
According to Israeli media, the approval means that a ceasefire has now gone into effect, but Israeli strikes continue
The Israeli government approved the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal early Friday morning during a meeting that included US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
According to The Times of Israel, the approval of the deal now means that a ceasefire is in effect. However, Al Jazeera reported an Israeli airstrike and shelling in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and attacks east of Gaza City early Friday morning.
The IDF continued to bomb Gaza on Thursday, including a strike in Gaza City that killed at least four Palestinians and left 40 missing under the rubble. The UN has said that it’s ready to surge aid into Gaza to bring relief to the starving population.
Under the deal, Hamas will release all remaining Israeli captives within 72 hours in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Within 24 hours, Israel will pull its troops back from some areas of Gaza, but the IDF will retain control of more than 50% of the Palestinian territory.
Dropping its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the release of all the Israeli hostages was a significant concession from Hamas, which says it has received a guarantee from the US that Israel won’t restart its genocidal war.
“We received guarantees from the mediators and from the US administration, and everyone confirmed that the war has completely ended. We will continue to work with all national and Islamic forces to complete the next steps,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official who Israel recently tried to assassinate in Qatar.
Many details of the long-term implementation of the ceasefire deal still need to be worked out, but President Trump is insisting that he has “ended the war” and that the deal will lead to an “everlasting peace.”
According to a report from Israel Hayom, the US has given Israel a guarantee that it would back Israeli military action if it determined Hamas violated the deal in a way that “poses a security threat.” The report said the understanding “constitutes a side agreement” between the US and Israel.
The US gave Israel a similar side deal for the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement, which Israel continues to violate on a near-daily basis.
An Israeli airstrike in the al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on Thursday night killed at least four Palestinians and buried dozens under the rubble.
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, about 40 people were missing after the strike, and rescue efforts continue. The strike on Thursday came despite President Trump’s announcement the night before that Israel and Hamas agreed to the “first phase” of a Gaza ceasefire deal. Early Friday morning, the Israeli government formally approved the deal, meaning the ceasefire has officially taken hold.
WAFA also reported that the airstrikes in Gaza City brought Thursday’s death toll to 29, though the number includes bodies of Palestinians killed in previous attacks that were recovered from the rubble.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily update on Thursday, which it releases about midday Gaza time, that at least 10 Palestinians were killed and 49 were injured over the previous 24-hour period. Among the dead were two Palestinians killed while attempting to get aid.
Israeli attacks on Thursday included strikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis. According to WAFA, at least one Palestinian was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis and another was killed by a drone attack in the city. Another person was killed by Israeli gunfire to the northwest of the city.
In Gaza City, several people were injured by a drone attack near the al-Yarmouk School in the western part of the city. Airstrikes were also reported in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, which Israeli forces have turned into a wasteland since launching an offensive in the area in early August.
The Health Ministry said that its total violent death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 67,194, and the number of wounded has climbed to 169,890. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.
Following Hamas’s kidnapping of over 250 Israelis during the October 7, 2023, attack, the Israeli government did not make saving the lives of the hostages a priority.
Internal communications within the upper levels of the Israeli government in the aftermath of the Hamas assault were released by Israel Channel 12. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the government to “ignore” the hostages.
Then Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant argued that Israel should not negotiate for the release of the hostages and that rescuing the captives should not be a goal. “We are proposing a plan of action, here are its components: Stabilization of defense — close the border; denial of military and governmental capabilities (for Hamas) and changing defense agreements; creating deterrence — they made a mistake!” He added, “Our response won’t be proportional either; hostages — not among our objectives, but they center and guide us.”
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Gallan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes committed in Gaza.
The belief in Israel that it cannot prioritize the hostages is a legacy of the Second Lebanon War. Then Israel tried to free the captive soldiers and failed. Tel Aviv made a deal with Hezbollah to release the captives.
Then-IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi argued not to “attach the hostages and missing to the (war’s) objectives. That needs to be our lesson from the Second Lebanon War.”
However, after two years of failing to free the Israeli hostages, on Wednesday, Tel Aviv agreed to a prisoner exchange with Hamas. Hamas has agreed to free the 48 remaining captives in exchange for Israel releasing 250 lifetime prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians who were detained over the past two years.
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