At least 600 trucks are needed every day \u2013 at a minimum \u2013 to start addressing Gaza\u2019s dire humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.<\/p>\n
Palestinian people in Gaza have received only a trickle of aid over recent months. During the war, Israel shut down entry and exit routes, largely blocking off food and medicine, which in turn caused a famine in large parts of Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dozens of aid trucks have begun entering Gaza this morning, according to BBC News, with more expected to follow.<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.55 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n The third day of the ceasefire saw some aid trucks cross into Gaza<\/a>, AFP reports, but residents in Khan Younis<\/strong>, in the south of the Strip, said some shipments were being ransacked by starving residents in chaotic scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to live in a jungle. We demand aid be secured and respectfully distributed,\u201d said Mohammed Zarab. \u201cLook at how the food is lying on the ground. Look! People and cars are trampling it.\u201d<\/p>\n For Mahmud al-Muzain, another bystander, the seizure of the aid parcels showed that Gaza did not trust that the US-led negotiations would lead to a long-term peace.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone fears the war will return. People steal the aid and store it in their homes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe stockpile food out of fear and worry that the war will come back.\u201d<\/p>\n Any optimism that 38-year-old Fatima Salem might have felt when Israeli forces withdrew from her neighbourhood in Gaza City<\/strong> was shattered when she returned home to find it gone.<\/p>\n \u201cI returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling,\u201d she said. \u201cMy eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost \u2013 nothing looked the same, even the neighbours\u2019 houses were gone.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it\u2019s now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More than 67,000 Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli attacks since the war began, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry, most of them civilians.<\/p>\n Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble and its infrastructure destroyed by Israeli aerial bombardments.<\/p>\n Only 1.5% of cropland in Gaza<\/a> has been left able to be farmed, with water and soil left polluted by munitions and fires.<\/p>\n The war is considered by many legal experts as a genocide against the civilian population of Gaza. It is a claim Israel denies, despite the evidence.<\/p>\n Palestinian people make their way past destroyed buildings in Gaza City on 12 October 2025. Photograph: Majdi Fathi\/NurPhoto\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.02 EDT<\/p>\n Roughly 200 American troops will be sent to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, according to US officials.<\/p>\n Senior US officials told reporters <\/a>that 200 troops will initially be on the ground with a \u201ccivil-military coordination center\u201d operated by US Central Command to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into the devastated territory, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Hamas may start freeing hostages tonight, Israel’s deputy foreign minister says<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel<\/strong>, has suggested to Sky News that Hamas might start freeing hostages as early as tonight. There has been no confirmation of this by Hamas.<\/p>\n Haskel said:<\/p>\n I think they [Hamas] might start even releasing them tonight. So, earlier than expected. We really hope so. We know there\u2019s been immense pressure on Hamas, including the two countries like Qatar and Turkey, who have the means to put pressure on Hamas to release them. And we really hope to see them as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a>Netanyahu says Israel ready for ‘immediate’ reception of hostages<\/p>\n Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong>, has said that Israel<\/a> is ready for the \u201cimmediate\u201d reception of all Gaza hostages.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages,\u201d he said in a statement after a meeting with the coordinator for the hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t clear if this means Israel is expecting a release today, rather than tomorrow, as has previously been reported.<\/p>\n Under the ceasefire plan\u2019s terms, Hamas has until 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday to release all 20 living hostages. This will be in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.31 EDT<\/p>\n We have a bit more information about what to expect at tomorrow\u2019s summit in Egypt (see post at 09.50<\/a> for more details).<\/p>\n The Egyptian foreign ministry has said in a fresh statement that a \u201cdocument ending the war in the Gaza<\/a> Strip\u201d was expected to be signed during the \u201chistoric\u201d gathering.<\/p>\n The summit was aimed at inaugurating \u201ca new chapter of peace and security \u2026 and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people\u201d in Gaza, it said in a statement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Hamas will not govern post-war Gaza, source says<\/p>\n A Hamas source close to the Palestinian militant group\u2019s negotiating committee has told AFP that it will not participate in postwar Gaza<\/a> governance.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a closed issue. Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but it remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric,\u201d the source told AFP.<\/p>\n Under Trump\u2019s plan, Gaza\u2019s governance would be passed to a temporary transitional body in the form of a \u201ctechnocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee\u201d, which would in turn be overseen and supervised by an international \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d, headed by the US president.<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s Gaza plan seeks a definitive end to the relentless two-year-long war. Photograph: ABACA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The board would include other heads of state and international officials, including the former British prime minister, Tony Blair.<\/p>\n That body would organise and set the framework for funding the redevelopment of Gaza<\/a> while the Palestinian Authority, the political entity nominally in charge of Palestinian affairs in the West Bank, had undergone a process of reform.<\/p>\n Hamas, however, has said, at least publicly, that it will not disarm \u2013 a key point in Trump\u2019s ceasefire plan.<\/p>\n \u201cHamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.57 EDT<\/p>\n In a post on X<\/a>, Israel\u2019s defence minister, Israel Katz<\/strong>, has said that his country\u2019s \u201cbig challenge\u201d after the release of the Israeli hostages this week will be \u201cthe destruction of all Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n Katz wrote:<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s great challenge after the phase of returning the hostages will be the destruction of all of Hamas\u2019s terror tunnels in Gaza, directly by the IDF and through the international mechanism to be established under the leadership and supervision of the United States. <\/p>\n This is the primary significance of implementing the agreed-upon principle of demilitarizing Gaza and neutralizing Hamas of its weapons. I have instructed the IDF to prepare for carrying out the mission.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a> My colleague Oliver Holmes<\/a> has this detail about how agencies are hoping to bring in much needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza (you can read his full story<\/a> here):<\/p>\n Aid agencies are hoping Israel will now stick to Trump\u2019s 20-point plan<\/a>, which said the entry and distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip should \u201cproceed without interference\u201d.<\/p>\n Famine deaths in gaza graphic.<\/a><\/p>\n On Saturday, the Italian defence minister said the Rafah crossing, a crucial movement point between Gaza and Egypt for aid trucks but also people, will reopen on Tuesday. Israel<\/a> took control of the border post last year.<\/p>\n Rafah \u201cwill be opened alternately in two directions: exit towards Egypt and entry towards Gaza\u201d, Guido Crosetto said.<\/p>\n With the UN returning to a lead role in humanitarian assistance, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israeli-backed private contractor scheme, appeared to be winding down.<\/p>\n The programme was widely condemned as it forced people towards food distribution sites where they were shot in large numbers<\/a> by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). One UN official called it a \u201csadistic death trap\u201d.<\/p>\n Palestinians take aid supplies from a truck which arrived in the southern Gaza Strip on 11 October. Photograph: Haitham Imad\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.10 EDT<\/p>\n Dozens of aid trucks enter Gaza amid hope for a surge in humanitarian relief<\/p>\n Many Palestinian people have faced starvation and have had to endure extreme hunger as the UN and other organisations have faced massive logistical obstacles including widespread looting, Israeli bombardments, Israel\u2019s administrative restrictions and bureaucracy and infrastructure damaged by Israeli attacks within Gaza.<\/p>\n Aid agencies said, in line with the terms in the ceasefire agreement, that they were preparing to \u201cflood\u201d Gaza<\/a> with food and other essential supplies.<\/p>\n At least 600 trucks are needed every day \u2013 at a minimum \u2013 to start addressing Gaza\u2019s dire humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.<\/p>\n Palestinian people in Gaza have received only a trickle of aid over recent months. During the war, Israel shut down entry and exit routes, largely blocking off food and medicine, which in turn caused a famine in large parts of Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dozens of aid trucks have begun entering Gaza this morning, according to BBC News, with more expected to follow.<\/p>\n Trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies pass through the Rafah Border crossing in Egypt. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.55 EDT<\/p>\n What world leaders will be attending the Egyptian summit tomorrow?<\/p>\n Leaders from more than 20 countries will attend tomorrow\u2019s Gaza \u201cpeace summit\u201d in Egypt\u2019s Red Sea resort city Sharm el-Sheikh<\/strong>. The summit will finalise the agreement aimed at ending Israel\u2019s war on Gaza.<\/p>\n It will be chaired by the US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi<\/strong>. Here are some of the other leaders who are expected to attend:<\/p>\n French President: Emmanuel Macron<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Turkish President: Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK\u2019s prime minister: Keir Starmer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Spanish prime minister: Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Italian prime minister: Giorgia Meloni<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n European council president: Antonio Costa<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n UN secretary-general: Ant\u00f3nio Guterres<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Leaders or foreign ministers from Germany, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia are also expected to participate, according to Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n It is unclear whether Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> would participate in the summit, while Hamas has confirmed it will not take part.<\/p>\n The Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal came into effect last Friday, following three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh. Photograph: Amr Abdallah Dalsh\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.11 EDT<\/p>\n Palestinian people continue to return to destroyed neighbourhoods as ceasefire holds<\/p>\n More Palestinian people, many of whom have been displaced several times during the Israeli assault, are continuing to head back to Gaza City<\/strong> and to the north of the territory as the ceasefire with Israel<\/a> holds.<\/p>\n They are mostly returning to rubble as relentless Israeli airstrikes have destroyed much of the property and infrastructure across Gaza<\/a> over the last two years.<\/p>\n Palestinian people continue heading north on the third day of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n More than 500,000 Palestinian people had returned to Gaza City by Saturday evening, according to Gaza\u2019s civil defence agency.<\/p>\n \u201cWe walked for hours, and every step was filled with fear and anxiety for my home,\u201d Raja Salmi, 52, told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.<\/p>\n When she reached the al-Rimal neighbourhood<\/strong>, she found her house utterly destroyed. \u201cI stood before it and cried. All those memories are now just dust,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A drone view shows Palestinian people in Gaza City walking past rubble after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area. Photograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas\/Reuters<\/p>\n Nearly half a million Palestinian people living in north Gaza were displaced by Israel\u2019s recent military assault into Gaza City, and many were eager to return to their homes.<\/p>\n In the south of Gaza, thousands left the crowded coastal strip of al-Mawasi<\/strong> to travel inland to the partly ruined city of Khan Younis in the south, as my colleagues note in this story<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As we mentioned in the opening summary<\/a>, Israel is expected to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving long sentences for serious security offences.<\/p>\n Hamas, in exchange, is expected to release 20 living hostages, followed by the return of the bodies of 28 deceased hostages.<\/p>\n On Friday, the Israeli justice ministry published the names of 250 prisoners to be freed, but excluded several high-profile prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti<\/strong> and Ahmad Saadat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Marwan Barghouti remains one of the most popular Palestinian leaders. Photograph: Brennan Linsley\/AP<\/p>\n Israel views Barghouti as a terrorist leader. He is serving multiple life sentences after being convicted in 2004 in connection with attacks in Israel that killed five people.<\/p>\n Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office has confirmed it refuses to release Barghouti.<\/p>\n Barghouti is a senior figure in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas\u2019s Fatah movement<\/strong> who is hugely popular in the occupied West Bank and Gaza<\/a> and has frequently been talked of as a future leader.<\/p>\n Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, told the Al Jazeera TV network that the militant group insists on the release of Barghouti and other high-profile figures and that it was in discussions with mediators.<\/p>\n Saadat has been the general secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine<\/strong> (PFLP) for more than two decades.<\/p>\n He was accused of organising the 2001 assassination of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi, an ultranationalist who called for the mass expulsion of Palestinian people.<\/p>\n Saadat and four PFLP activists directly involved in the killing were eventually arrested by Palestinian police. In April 2002, a makeshift court sentenced the four to prison terms ranging from one to 18 years. Saadat was not charged, with Palestinian officials saying at the time they did not believe he was involved in the killing.<\/p>\n In an internationally brokered agreement that year, he was transferred to a Palestinian jail in the West Bank city of Jericho. In 2006, fearing he might be released, Israel raided the prison and took him and other Palestinians into custody. He was sentenced to 30 years in 2008. He is now in his early 70s.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.05 EDT<\/p>\n Aid relief scaled up as Hamas confirms it will begin releasing Israeli hostages on Monday morning<\/p>\n Hamas will begin releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza tomorrow morning, a senior official from the Palestinian militant group has told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold<\/a>.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military says it has completed the first phase of its withdrawal from Gaza, after the ceasefire, brokered by the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, came into effect on Friday morning.<\/p>\n Under its terms, Hamas has until 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday to release all 20 living hostages. This will be in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed,\u201d Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP.<\/p>\n The US president, Donald Trump<\/strong>, and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi<\/strong>, will then chair a summit of more than 20 countries in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-sheikh on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n It will aim \u201cto end the war in the Gaza<\/a> Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability,\u201d the Egyptian presidency said.<\/p>\n Humanitarian aid trucks are lined up before proceeding towards the Rafah border crossing. Photograph: EPA<\/p>\n The developments come as aid groups begin scaling up relief efforts in Gaza, parts of which have endured famine conditions and starvation because Israel denied and obstructed humanitarian aid from entering into the territory.<\/p>\n There are reports of aid trucks having arrived to southern Gaza\u2019s Rafah border crossing with Egypt this morning.<\/p>\n![\"Trucks](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760271552_365_4000.jpg\")
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies pass through the Rafah Border crossing in Egypt. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Oliver_Holmes.jpg\")
Oliver Holmes<\/p>\n\n