Erich Rumson ’28

by Erich Rumson ’28 on October 23, 2025

Disclaimer: This article was written prior to both Israel and Hamas violating the ceasefire.

Celebrations erupted across Israel on Oct. 13 as the 20 hostages who remained alive in Gaza returned home. Hamas, the governing body of the Gaza Strip, agreed to release them as part of the first phase of a peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, which seeks to permanently end the Gaza War.

The first phase of the agreement, which both Israel and Hamas approved on Oct. 8, has called for an end to the fighting and for Hamas to release all Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 who have died. In return, Israel has agreed to release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and begin a withdrawal of its troops from certain areas of the Gaza Strip. As of one week after the deal, most of these points have been met by both sides, with some exceptions. Many of the remains of the deceased hostages have yet to be recovered and returned to Israel, and the Rafah crossing between Israel and Egypt remained closed despite promises to open it up to aid groups by Israel.

The apparent end to the war in Gaza was met with joy as well as caution by many observers worldwide, as there is still much uncertainty regarding the future of the region. According to the Wall Street Journal, negotiations surrounding the second phase of the plan—which deals with the future demilitarization and administration of the Gaza Strip—have proven more controversial than the first. Trump’s plan calls for an international Board of Peace to temporarily govern Gaza. However, the exact details of this international body, including how long it would be in control, have not been settled and several countries in the Middle East have expressed reluctance to be a part of it. The proposed disarmament of Hamas has also met some pushback, as although the group has agreed to give up its missiles and rocket launchers, it has refused to give up other weapons such as assault rifles.

The recent ceasefire and peace deal came right after the war in Gaza reached its two-year mark. The conflict began following Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which thousands of Hamas fighters invaded the country and killed over 1,000 Israeli civilians, while taking hundreds hostage. Israel subsequently launched a massive military campaign against Hamas, which destroyed large parts of the Gaza Strip and resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. The war caused one of the largest humanitarian crises in recent memory, rivaled only by the still ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and sparked massive protests worldwide in favor of both sides. The conflict spread into other Middle Eastern countries as well, as Israel launched campaigns against Hamas’s allies in Lebanon and Yemen, and conducted strikes against Iran last June. The fighting was stopped by two ceasefires, which took place in November of 2023 and from January to March of this year, in which hostages taken by Hamas were exchanged for prisoners taken by Israel. Neither of these ceasefires lasted, as fighting resumed in both cases.

One major development may cause the war to end for good this time. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hamas had come under increasing pressure from several Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, to agree to the peace deal proposed by Trump. Short on allies and with few other options remaining, Hamas accepted the first part of the proposal. On Oct. 13, the same day the hostages were released, a summit was held in Egypt during which leaders of countries around the world, including President Trump, met to discuss the future of Gaza. With many countries in the region united in stopping the war, one can only hope that this ceasefire may bring a lasting peace.