On October 9, 2025, the world witnessed a rare and dramatic pause in one of the 21st century’s most bitter conflicts. Israel and Hamas, the principal antagonists in the Gaza war, agreed to the first phase of a peace plan brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The announcement, hailed as a "critical turning point" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has sent ripples of hope, skepticism, and heated debate across the globe.
The deal, which came into effect after Israel’s government ratified it on the evening of October 9, promises the release of all remaining 48 hostages—20 of whom are believed to be alive—and a reciprocal release of Palestinian prisoners. According to Sky News, the arrangement also includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of Gaza and a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged enclave. In the streets of Khan Younis and Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square, jubilant crowds celebrated, waving American flags and chanting, "Nobel prize to Trump." For many, the ceasefire signaled the possible end of a war that has killed tens of thousands of Gazans and about 1,200 Israelis since the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the latest round of violence.
President Trump, posting on social media, declared, "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan." He credited mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their roles in the negotiations, and hinted at a possible visit to the region in the coming days. The plan, which was unveiled just a week prior, called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages held since the October 2023 attack. Trump warned Hamas to accept the deal quickly or face devastating consequences, underscoring the high-stakes nature of the talks.
Yet, beneath this veneer of celebration and diplomatic triumph, deep skepticism lingers. A statement from Hamas on the day the ceasefire took effect was telling: "We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge—never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved." As reported in The Mountain Messenger, the tone was anything but a full-throated endorsement of Trump’s plan, reflecting a longstanding mistrust fueled by decades—if not centuries—of bloodshed and failed peace efforts.
Historical memory weighs heavily on both sides. Since Israel’s creation in 1948, the region has seen one war after another, with each ceasefire often serving as a mere lull before the next eruption of violence. The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on a music festival in Israel, which killed about 1,000 people and led to the kidnapping of over 200, was only the latest in a long line of tragedies. Israel’s response, a relentless military campaign in Gaza, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry—a figure that includes both civilians and combatants, with about half said to be women and children.
On the ground, the new arrangement is complex and fraught with uncertainty. Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi told The Media Line that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will "retain freedom of operation everywhere in Gaza," even as they prepare a partial pullback to a line resembling the so-called "yellow line" outlined in Trump’s plan. Gaza City will be vacated to enable the hostage exchanges, but key routes will remain under Israeli control. Avivi was blunt: "The agreement is about hostages and prisoners, not handcuffs on the IDF," and the process of demilitarizing Hamas "is just beginning now." Israeli officials have also begun coordinating with local Gazan clans in an effort to reduce Hamas’s authority, a move some see as the first step toward a postwar order in the territory.
International reaction has ranged from cautious optimism to outright celebration. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the deal "a moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world," while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as a "momentous opportunity" for a credible political path to peace. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni echoed these sentiments, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the accord a "ray of light." Yet, as Al Jazeera pointed out in a searing editorial, many Palestinians and their advocates view the international community’s praise with suspicion. They argue that the same governments now congratulating themselves for brokering peace spent two years funding, arming, and enabling the conflict—leaving Gaza’s people to endure starvation, bombardment, and mass graves largely on their own.
Indeed, the human cost of the war is staggering. On November 7, 2023, just a month into the conflict, children at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza pleaded in English for peace, medicine, and food. "We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children," one boy said. Their pleas, broadcast to the world, underscored the desperate humanitarian situation that continued to deteriorate over the following two years.
The ceasefire agreement, while celebrated, is only the first step in a much larger, more complicated process. Hamas has urged President Trump not to let Israel "evade or delay" the deal, hoping it will lead to the "complete withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel, for its part, insists that Hamas must disarm—a demand the group has repeatedly rejected. Trump’s plan also envisions an international body, possibly led by himself and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to govern Gaza once Hamas relinquishes control, though the first-stage agreement makes no mention of this controversial proposal.
For many Palestinians, the ceasefire is a testament not to foreign diplomacy but to their own resilience. As Al Jazeera’s editorial put it, "Gaza survived because of its own resistance, a resistance to which its people are entitled." The editorial argues that the only just future is one in which Palestinians are free to determine their own fate, without occupation, siege, or foreign-imposed solutions. The world, it insists, must not return to business as usual while the occupation continues and justice for the dead remains unfulfilled.
As the guns fall silent—at least for now—the world watches to see whether this fragile peace will hold, or if, as so many times before, it will dissolve under the weight of old grievances and new provocations. The people of Gaza, battered but unbroken, have earned a moment to mourn, to celebrate, and perhaps, to hope.