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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-12 at 12:06
HEADLINES
Sharm Summit Targets Gaza Peace and Hostages
Countdown Tightens as Hostages Release Unfolds
Hamas Governance Debate Over Civilian Gaza Rule
The time is now 8:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
A Gaza ceasefire remains in place into its third day as a hostage-prisoner exchange and a regional peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh draw international attention. The gathering in Egypt’s Red Sea resort, co-hosted with the United States, includes President Donald Trump among the leaders expected to participate, signaling a high-stakes effort to chart a path to peace after more than two years of war. Observers say the summit underscores a concerted push to disengage the fighting from humanitarian needs and political objectives, while maintaining pressure on all sides to uphold security and humanitarian access.
On the ground, the Israeli military says it has redeployed to agreed deployment lines as part of the ceasefire arrangement and a 72-hour countdown has begun for Hamas to release the hostages it is holding. Details about the hostage release schedule vary in reporting, with some accounts saying as many as 48 hostages are slated for release in phase one, while others indicate that 20 living hostages could be handed over by Sunday, and a total of 22 living hostages are identified as part of the live list. Hamas has given mixed signals in recent days, including statements that it would hand over 20 living hostages as part of an early phase, and other signals suggesting broader, even swifter releases, creating a tension between diplomat-driven timetables and battlefield realities.
Within Hamas, there are competing messages about Gaza’s future governance. A senior Hamas official has said the movement will not govern Gaza after the war, framing the conflict as leading toward a demilitarized Hamas and the establishment of a civilian administration under international supervision. At the same time, public remarks from other Hamas voices emphasize the necessity of the ceasefire and the conditions attached to it, leaving open questions about long-term authority and the prospects for reconstruction and governance in Gaza.
Israel’s leadership has stressed readiness to absorb any hostages released and to move quickly to provide care and facilitate reintegration. The government has communicated a clear posture that it will respond to a hands-over of hostages with proportionate, humane reception and support for families. In parallel, officials have continued to stress the importance of maintaining security guarantees and the ongoing fight against militant threats beyond Gaza, while cooperating with international mechanisms to monitor compliance with the ceasefire and hostage-release terms.
The international frame surrounding the talks includes a stronger focus on regional stability and a shift in how the conflict is perceived beyond immediate combat zones. Egypt’s role as host and facilitator of the talks is underscored by the presence of US and Middle East partners at the summit, highlighting a strategy that blends security guarantees with humanitarian channels and reconstruction plans. The discussions come as Iran’s network of allied factions and proxies appears increasingly constrained, a factor analysts see as potentially reducing the scale of a broader regional escalation, even as isolated flare-ups persist.
In broader regional dynamics, Syria’s Kurdish-led SDF marks a decade of US-backed operations against ISIS and signals interest in deeper integration with the Syrian army under a new arrangement. In parallel, reporting from regime-aligned outlets notes that the October 7 attacks were a strategic miscalculation that weakened Iran’s regional standing and complicated its ability to project influence through its proxies. These pieces illustrate a regional recalibration as actors reassess lines
Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago