On November 12, 2025, reporters from The New York Post, NPR, and the Associated Press provided rare on-the-ground glimpses into the fragile ceasefire holding between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The truce, which began on October 10 following a peace plan announced by President Trump on September 29, was intended to bring a halt to the violence, return hostages, and open a path to reconstruction. Yet, a month into the agreement, the reality on the ground is far more complicated than any official statement or map boundary might suggest.
The so-called “yellow line”—a boundary established under Phase 1 of the peace plan—marks the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) withdrawal from parts of Gaza. Behind this line, IDF soldiers maintain a vigilant watch, their posts dotting the devastated outskirts of Gaza City. According to Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, who spoke with The New York Post, “The only thing standing between those Hamas terrorists and our civilians just a two-minute drive away is the IDF soldiers here.” The line is meant to symbolize a new era of stability, but breaches by armed Hamas operatives are a daily occurrence, sometimes with deadly consequences.
Since the ceasefire began, three Israeli soldiers have been killed in attacks by Hamas militants. Each time, the IDF has responded forcefully, demolishing tunnels and infrastructure Hamas uses for attacks. “We’ve seen Hamas test us on a daily basis, then they claim Israel is attacking civilians,” Shoshani said. “Our operations are against violations—against Hamas when they cross or attack and kill troops.”
For Gaza’s residents, the truce feels more like a pause than a true end to hostilities. NPR’s Aya Batrawy reported that many in Gaza describe the current moment as a break in the violence, not the beginning of recovery. Israel continues to control aid deliveries, and although hundreds of trucks now enter daily, basic necessities remain scarce. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat are rare, and medicines are often unavailable. According to the United Nations, a fifth of Gaza’s households are surviving on just one meal a day.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas released all living Israeli hostages within the first 72 hours, exchanging them for a number of detained Palestinians. But the next phase—disarmament by Hamas—has stalled. Israel insists that all hostages, including the remains of those who died in captivity, be returned. So far, Hamas has returned the remains of 24 hostages, but four bodies have yet to be located. Hamas claims some are buried beneath the rubble left by years of Israeli bombardment, complicating their recovery. As reported by the Associated Press, the most recent return included the remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
The return of remains is not a one-sided affair. Israel has sent back the bodies of 315 Palestinians to Gaza, though less than a third have been identified by local health officials due to a lack of DNA testing kits. The identities of these bodies remain unclear—whether they are victims of the October 7 attack, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody, or casualties from the war itself.
Despite the ceasefire, violence has not ceased. Gaza’s health ministry reports that 245 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce began—a fraction of the more than 69,000 deaths recorded during the war, but a grim reminder that peace remains elusive. Some of these deaths occurred as civilians attempted to return to homes in areas they believed were safe, while others were killed in Israeli airstrikes reportedly in retaliation for attacks on IDF soldiers.
The devastation in Gaza is staggering. The New York Post described neighborhoods reduced to concrete blocks and dust, with entire communities erased. Years of tunnel construction by Hamas under civilian homes have left the landscape unstable and reconstruction daunting. “This area needs to have no more tunnels, no more terror infrastructure, and no more terrorists,” Shoshani emphasized. “That’s the main point moving forward—and it doesn’t seem like Hamas has changed their agenda.”
Israel’s policy, according to Shoshani, is to protect civilians while preventing Hamas attacks. He insisted, “Israel does not automatically open fire. There’s distance—time to warn and give people an opportunity to turn around.” Yet, the ongoing breaches by Hamas, and the continued return of hostages and bodies, keep tensions high and trust low.
The peace plan’s next step—disarmament and the deployment of an international stabilization force—remains uncertain. The United States has drafted a resolution for the U.N. Security Council to authorize such a force, but it is unclear which countries would contribute troops or when they might arrive. There’s also talk, reportedly floated by Jared Kushner, of rebuilding in Israeli-occupied east Gaza while Hamas retains control of the west. This potential “two Gazas” scenario has sparked debate and skepticism, with many doubting that Palestinians would willingly relocate to areas under Israeli occupation, regardless of incentives.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid is a lifeline but not a solution. Israel recently agreed to open a key crossing into northern Gaza, an area where famine had been declared over the summer. The move comes as the U.S. increases its role in overseeing aid distribution. However, even with international involvement, the need far outstrips the supply, and the specter of renewed conflict looms if the ceasefire’s terms are not fully met.
Israel has made it clear that the return of all hostages—living and deceased—is non-negotiable. If Hamas fails to deliver, Israeli officials have threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid. For their part, Hamas insists that the destruction wrought by Israeli offensives makes the return of some remains impossible, at least for now.
Personal stories of those still missing underscore the human cost of the conflict. The AP highlighted the cases of Meny Godard, a former soccer player and war veteran; Ran Gvili, a police officer killed while rescuing others; Dror Or, a dairy farmer; and Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker. Their families wait for closure, even as the political process grinds on.
One month into the ceasefire, the situation in Gaza remains tense, uncertain, and deeply human. The path to lasting peace is littered with obstacles—political, logistical, and personal. As Shoshani told The New York Post, “This region can never move forward if Hamas remains in power. If there are still terrorists in Gaza, there can be no reconstruction, no rebuilding, and no stability.”
For now, the yellow line holds, but the future of Gaza and its people remains as fragile as ever.
