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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-04 at 20:07
HEADLINES
Gaza ceasefire hinges on hostage releases
Hamas internal fractures threaten negotiated terms
Iran proxies warn regional power shifts loom
The time is now 4:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good afternoon. This is your 4:00 PM update on the situation in and around Israel, with a focus on the Gaza war, the role of Iran and its proxies, and the ongoing diplomatic rifts shaping the path to any pause in fighting.
The pause in Gaza remains fragile. Israel says it remains prepared to pursue a pause only if security guarantees are in place and Hamas remains disarmed and limited in influence. On the ground, the Israeli military has continued to prioritize troop protection and the denial of Hamas military capabilities, including reporting an underground weapons workshop found near a Gaza City hospital. Israeli officials stress that any security plan must prevent Hamas from reconstituting its military presence in areas vacated by Israeli forces, and they insist on clear arrangements governing who controls key corridors and border zones during any phased withdrawal.
In Washington and in the region, the US-backed effort to end the Gaza war has taken on a concrete frame. Washington, along with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, supports a phased approach under President Donald Trump’s plan: hostage releases in exchange for a ceasefire, followed by the release of convicted terrorists and a staged IDF withdrawal. Hamas has said it accepts the plan “in principle” but with reservations on certain clauses; officials say the group wants clarifications and assurances before committing to details. Israeli negotiators, led in Cairo by ministerial figures, are engaged in what are described as technical discussions about how to implement the living-hostage release, locate bodies of fallen captives, and determine the scope of any prisoner releases. The mood among Israeli officials ranges from cautious optimism to concern that Hamas may seek to stall or seek to condition its compliance on changes to other terms.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the moment as potentially historic, while urging realism about the hurdles ahead. He has signaled the possibility of announcing progress on the hostage releases during the upcoming religious holiday period, but he has also warned that this drama is not over and that final boundaries—such as whether Hamas can retain any foothold within Gaza—must be resolved to Israel’s satisfaction. Other Israeli voices in the governing coalition have pressed for a hard line: some ministers advocate continuing or even intensifying pressure to ensure Hamas’s disarmament and the removal of its capability to wage renewed war.
A key obstacle remains Hamas’s internal fracture and the variance in positions among Palestinian factions. Political figures supportive of the deal say some Gaza-based militant commanders resist ending the war on terms set by external mediators or by Israel and the United States. The spectrum of opinion inside Hamas and among allied factions means any final agreement could be delayed if factions judge the terms insufficient or if assurances fail to meet their strategic goals, such as guarantees against renewed Israeli incursions or guarantees on the timing and scope of withdrawals.
Iran and its proxies remain a broader backdrop. Hezbollah in Lebanon has warned that the Trump plan is dangerous and that the decision to back or resist is ultimately up to Hamas. The group’s leadership has framed the issue as part of a larger regional contest, emphasizing resistance to what it calls the Greater Israel project, while also acknowledging the political and military pressures that shape Hamas’s choices. Across the border in Syria and Lebanon, the balance of power continues to shift as external actors adjust to the evolving battlefield realities, tho
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