Blinken says plan for post-war Gaza will be handed over to Trump administration

“The prime minister should bring a deal that includes all the hostages, including my son,” said Ruby Chen, whose soldier son, Itay, was killed in Hamas’ Oct 7 attack, his body has since been held in Gaza. “He saved many people, he doesn’t deserve to rot in Gaza.”

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed across its borders on Oct 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

Only one ceasefire has been held so far, lasting for a single week in November 2023, during which around half of the hostages, including most women, children and foreign labourers, were freed in return for Palestinian detainees.

Both sides have been committed in principle for months to the prospect of a ceasefire accompanied by a swap of remaining hostages for detainees. But previous talks foundered over the steps that would follow, with Hamas rejecting any deal that stopped short of bringing a permanent end to the war, while Israel said it would not end the war until Hamas is dismantled.

Trump’s Jan 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office, while Biden has also called for a final push for a deal before he leaves.