WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, marking the first significant breakthrough in more than two years of devastating war that killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza.
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Hundreds of Hamas fighters cross into Israel at dawn, storming southern Israeli communities and a music festival with gunfire, rockets, and grenades. 1,219 people are killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians. 251 hostages are taken to Gaza; Israel later says 47 remain, many of them dead. Images of burning Israeli vehicles near the Gaza border become symbols of the war’s brutal beginning.
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Israel responds with massive airstrikes and imposes a total siege on Gaza. On October 13, civilians in northern Gaza are told to move south. By October 27, Israel launches a ground invasion. Over two years later, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 67,183 deaths, more than half women and children.
The UN calls the figures “credible,” describing Gaza as “an unlivable ruin.” A week-long truce begins on November 24. Hamas releases 105 hostages, while Israel frees 240 Palestinian prisoners.Fighting resumes afterward, spreading to southern Gaza, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
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April 13, 2024: Iran launches its first-ever direct attack on Israeli soil with drones and missiles, retaliating for a strike on its Damascus consulate. July 20: Israel bombs a Yemeni port after a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv. September 17–18: Hundreds are killed or injured in Lebanon after pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah explode in an Israeli operation. September 27: Israel kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut. October 1: Iran retaliates with 200 missiles, following Nasrallah’s assassination and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July.
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November 14: A UN Special Committee says Israel’s campaign “shows characteristics of genocide.”November 21: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif.
Israel appeals the ruling and accuses the UN of bias.
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A second truce begins January 19, 2025, allowing displaced Gazans to return.
By March 1, 33 Israeli hostages (including 8 bodies) are freed in exchange for 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. But on March 2, Israel halts aid entry again, deepening Gaza’s famine crisis. June 13: Israel strikes Iranian nuclear and military sites, sparking a 12-day war. June 22: The US joins, targeting three nuclear sites. June 24: Trump brokers a fragile ceasefire.
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Israel bombs Doha, targeting Hamas officials in the Qatari capital — a key mediator in the Gaza talks.
The strikes are widely condemned worldwide. Days later, Israel launches another ground operation in Gaza City. President Donald Trump declares that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his peace plan. The deal includes: Release of all hostages. Israeli troop redeployment to agreed lines. Humanitarian aid flow into Gaza. The announcement marks the first concrete step toward ending a war that transformed the Middle East and reshaped global politics.