Israel-Hamas war reaches two years, with peace under consideration

Yesterday marked two years since Hamas’ October 7th surprise attacks against Israeli citizens. And while the war in Gaza appears closer than ever to ending, the region will likely never be the same.

The anniversary of the Gaza war—which started with the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and continued with the worst killing and displacement of Palestinians since 1948—came one day after delegates from Israel and Hamas began indirect talks over a US-proposed peace plan to end the fighting.

What’s in the plan?

The 20-point peace proposal, announced last week by President Trump and supported by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, lays out a series of obligations for both Israel and Hamas to follow:

• All hostilities would immediately end, with Hamas releasing all 48 hostages it holds, living or dead, within the following 72 hours (Israel believes 20 are alive).
• Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children.
• All of Hamas’ military infrastructure, including tunnels, would be dismantled, while members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty and can leave Gaza if they wish.
• Once Hamas disarms, Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza while an international security force deploys to the area. Hamas would have no further role in administering the territory.
• Gaza would be governed by an interim administration of Palestinian technocrats, which would be overseen and supervised by an international transitional body that’s headed by Trump and includes other heads of State.
• Palestinians would not be expelled from Gaza. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be allowed into the territory, run by “neutral international bodies” including the UN and the Red Crescent (a version of the Red Cross).

Both Israel and Hamas have conditionally agreed on the broad outline of the plan, but disagreements remain on the details. Hamas has committed to the deal’s stipulations about releasing hostages and an interim Palestinian administration, but hasn’t addressed other specific issues like Hamas being de-armed or barred from exercising political power in Gaza.

Looking ahead…The two sides, who refuse to speak directly, will rely on mediators from the US, Qatar, and Egypt to ferry messages back and forth this week in an attempt to bridge existing gaps in the peace process.

📊 Flash poll: In general, how do you feel about the 20-point peace plan under consideration by Israel and Hamas?

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