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jerrab » 18 Jan 2026, 4:14 pm » wrote: ↑

18 Jan 2026, 4:14 pm

-------------------------------------------------------------------In October 2025, the Trump administration managed to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of deadly conflict, sparked by the militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack and around 250 more were taken hostage.Gazan authorities say more than 71,000 Palestinians were killed in the two-year Israeli assault on the strip that followed.As part of the US-brokered ceasefire, Mr Trump secured the release of the last living hostages and all but one of the bodies of the deceased have been returned.“Everybody's happy,” he said in October as he took a victory lap in the Israeli parliament to rapturous applause. “This took 3,000 years to get to this point, can you believe it? And it's going to hold up too.”

However, with hundreds dead since the deal came into effect, many have claimed it is a ceasefire in name only.Fighting on the ground has reduced, but Palestinians continue to be killed over “ceasefire violations” alleged by Israel. More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect. The UN said in January 2026 that more than 100 children are among the dead, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.

 The US announced in January it was pressing on with the second phase of its plan to end the conflict for good, with a new government for Gaza and the demilitarisation of Hamas. Hamas has not yet agreed to those terms and has regrouped since the ceasefire.Days after the phase two announcement, Bloomberg reported that Mr Trump wants countries to pay $1bn to join the peace board.The president has also made it clear that he sees Gaza as a potential investment opportunity, with claims it could be turned into a “riviera” despite decades of deadly conflict.