Celebrations in Khan Younis, Gaza, over announcement of Hamas-Israel ceasefire agreement, October 9, 2025 (RTE)
Q&A: Gaza — Hamas and Israel Reach Another Phase 1 Ceasefire Agreement
UPDATE, OCT 11:
In a 23-minute analysis recorded Thursday, I chat with National Security News’s Linda van Tilburg about the calculations of Hamas and Israel’s Netanyahu Government as they agreed to the ceasefire and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees.
We also look at the vagueness of Donald Trump’s “sketch” over other issues. We consider possible deal-breakers, such as Israel’s ongoing imprisonment, already more than 20 years, of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti.
I explain why Trump was not going to win the Nobel Peace Prize. And perhaps most importantly, I point out that he and Benjamin Netanyahu will continue to be barriers to a two-state resolution.
ORIGINAL ENTRY, OCT 9: I joined international outlets on Thursday to analyze the announcement of a Phase 1 ceasefire agreement over Gaza between Hamas and Israel’s Netanyahu Government.
While welcoming the proposed freeing of Israeli hostages in return for the release of Palestinian detainees from Israel’s prisons, I note that this is just the beginning of a demanding process.
Donald Trump’s 20-point “sketch” is still vague about the arrangements beyond the exchange and the return of aid to Gaza: withdrawal of Israeli forces, disarmament of Hamas, and the governance and security of the Strip.
With Hamas giving up its leverage with the release of the last Israeli hostages, those arrangements will depend upon guarantees.
But will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold out against far-right ministers who maintain that Hamas must still be “destroyed”? Will Donald Trump maintain pressure on Netanyahu or will he walk away after taking a victory lap this weekend? Will Arab States and Turkey continue to exert influence on Hamas, Trump, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who — bankrolled by Saudi Arabia and Qatar — has an interest in profiting from a stable Gaza?
Listen to RTE Radio 1 from 10:37
My analysis follows reporting by the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen and RTE’s US Correspondent Sara Firth:
Watch Canada’s CBC
I chat with host Heather Hiscox about the latest developments in the proposed ceasefire and both the possibilities and challenges of the moment.
On the one hand, we all need to say, “Thank goodness, we have a pause to the killing in Gaza and finally the hostages are being freed.”
But we are really only back to January, when we had a six-week ceasefire and the Israelis pulled out at the end of Phase 1.
The hard work begins now.
Watch India’s Firstpost News
In a seven-minute analysis, I set out the challenges ahead for a lasting end to the mass killing in Gaza.
I look specifically at the deliberations within Israel’s Netanyahu Government, as far-right ministers oppose the ceasefire.
Those far-right ministers who might object not only have to take on Netanyahu. They have to take on Trump. I don’t think they will do that.
But after that immediate hostage-for-detainee exchange, that is when the rubber hits the road.
As for Donald Trump’s obsession with winning the Nobel Peace Prize:
The facts are that Donald Trump backed the Israelis all the way to early September with this mass killing in Gaza.
The catalyst was Israel bombing and trying to kill Hamas negotiators in Qatar. After that, the Gulf States went to Trump and said, “You better do something now. Because if you don’t, the entire region is going to be unstable.”
Watch Pakistan TV from 5:45
I explain that the ceasefire “is a start, but there is still a long, long way to go”, particularly for Palestinian statehood: “Who are the obstacles to that statehood? The Netanyahu Government and Donald Trump.”
I set out all the vague areas where arrangements need definition and answer, “Will the people of Gaza finally be able to get adequate aid and supplies?”
