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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-11 at 17:08
HEADLINES
- Israel Pulls Back as Gaza Aid Surges
- Hostage Release Linked to Ceasefire Terms
- Hamas Rebuilds Gaza Influence Retains Arms
The time is now 1:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the 1:00 PM update on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and related developments.
The first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire announced in Sharm el-Sheikh remains in effect as the day advances, with Israeli forces having pulled back from the most intensified fronts to the agreed lines. Israeli officials say the withdrawal marks meaningful progress toward the framework that envisions a longer-term pause in fighting and a path toward hostage releases and prisoner exchanges. In Gaza, aid movements have accelerated as crossings reopen and humanitarian deliveries scale up. Government officials report that more than 500 trucks entered Gaza on Friday, signaling expanded aid access, though the UN and aid groups warn that the destruction from two years of fighting has created a humanitarian emergency of unprecedented scale and complexity.
On the hostage front, Israel’s military confirmed that 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with assurances that those still held would be freed by Monday as the ceasefire holds into its second day. The timetable for releases is tightly linked to the broader deal, which also calls for the transfer of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. In parallel, Hamas and allied groups have signaled that they will pursue the agreement’s terms while resisting changes to the prisoner-release list. A Hamas spokesman reiterated that the group will not disarm and that the path to ending the conflict hinges on adherence to the agreed framework and the gradual return of captives and the missing remains.
International involvement remains central to sustaining the pause. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with senior US military officials, have visited Israeli forces in the Gaza vicinity to oversee progress and to discuss ongoing coordination. The Pentagon’s Central Command has described a plan to establish a Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel that would synchronize activities related to Gaza’s stabilization, with the understanding that US personnel will not be operating on the ground inside Gaza but will coordinate from nearby bases and regional hubs. Reports indicate that a contingent of American personnel will begin arriving to assist in monitoring and liaison roles, alongside regional partners including Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and likely Emirati officials embedded in the effort. The aim is to ensure that action remains aligned with the terms of the ceasefire and the hostage-release schedule, while preventing misidentification of bodies and maintaining security along the border.
In Washington, President Donald Trump is anticipated to arrive in the region to address the Knesset during a tightly choreographed trip designed to emphasize a continuity of hard-edged diplomacy. The administration has framed its approach as peace through strength, working closely with Israel to pursue an arrangement that ends the fighting while preserving Israel’s security requirements. Officials stress that any long-term arrangement will depend on the parties’ willingness to uphold the terms of the ceasefire, including Hamas’s disarmament or credible steps toward disarmament, and Israel’s security assurances at the borders and within Gaza’s evolving governance framework.
Beyond the ceasefire process, regional and international reporting underscores shifting dynamics inside Gaza. BBC reporting this week highlighted a strategy within Hamas to rebuild influence by mobilizing thousands of fighters and appointing new local administrators to govern the territory’s five districts, a move that signals a readiness to operate under the new framework without surrendering battlefield leverage.
Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago