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Palestinians return to the rubble of their homes in northern Gaza

Palestinians return to the rubble of their homes in northern Gaza
By Lyndal Rowlands, Caolán Magee, Usaid Siddiqui, Faisal Ali and Ali Harb
Published On 14 Oct 2025

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14 Oct 2025 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

Read about Israel’s intensifying home demolition campaign in the occupied West Bank here.

Check out Palestinian journalist Eman Murtaja’s column on the killing of her peer, Saleh Aljafarawi, here.

And follow our broader coverage here.

14 Oct 2025 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will close soon. Here are the day’s major developments:

  • The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to hold despite repeated Israeli violations.
  • Israel killed at least nine Palestinians as the Israeli military warned Gaza residents to stay away from the areas it still occupies.
  • Israel has again failed to open the critical Rafah crossing, as stipulated by the truce agreement, and notified the UN that it would reduce the amount of aid to be allowed into Gaza by half, to 300 trucks daily.
  • Hamas handed the bodies of eight slain captives to Israel via the Red Cross while Israel complained the Palestinian group is moving too slowly with 20 others.
  • US President Donald Trump warned Hamas that it would be “violently” disarmed if the group refused to give up its weapons.
  • Two Israeli air strikes wounded at least three people in southern Lebanon as Israel’s daily violations of that ceasefire continue.
14 Oct 2025 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

WATCH: How will President Trump enforce his plan for Gaza?

US President Donald Trump says his Gaza ceasefire deal will bring peace to the Middle East.

Some 20 world leaders, including Trump, signed the agreement at a special summit in Egypt on Monday. The deal outlines the steps both Hamas and Israel must take to maintain the ceasefire and end the war.

But it doesn’t quite address the bigger question of what happens in Gaza beyond the next few months? What about Israel’s larger occupation, and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state?

 

14 Oct 2025 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Israel’s Smotrich declares intent to re-establish Gaza settlements

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, says that “there will be Jewish settlements in Gaza”.

“We have patience, but we have determination and faith, and with God’s help, we will continue the series of victories and great miracles,” Smotrich said at an event in Sderot in Israel’s south.

The ceasefire deal that Trump brokered and promised to ensure its implementation would see Israel withdraw its army from Gaza.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich [File: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
14 Oct 2025 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Hamas willing to hand over heavy weapons: Report

US news outlet Axios reports that Hamas has offered to hand over heavy weapons to a Palestinian governing body of Gaza or Arab nations, but will not surrender small arms.

“A US official and a source with knowledge said Hamas expressed its willingness to give up its heavy weapons — mainly rockets and missiles — to a Palestinian or Arab entity, but insisted on keeping their guns for self-defence,” the news report said.

Earlier, Trump threatened to disarm Hamas if it failed to do so itself, saying the effort could be carried out “perhaps violently”. But he also praised Hamas for battling a criminal gang in Gaza.

So, it remains unclear if the US president will allow the Palestinian group to retain light weapons.

14 Oct 2025 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Dr Hussam Abu Safia’s family says no information on his release

Family members of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who Israel has detained since December, say they don’t yet have “details about the date of his release”.

“Our father, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, has been included on the list of those approved for release, but he has not yet been freed,” his family wrote in a post on social media.

They have “received comforting news” from other released detainees who were with their father.

“They confirmed he is in good health and strong spirits, thank God,” the family said.

14 Oct 2025 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

‘Silent complicity’: Ireland’s startling ties to Israel’s genocide

Ireland is considered one of the most pro-Palestine countries in the world.

So, why are so many Irish people accusing their government of “silent complicity” in Israel’s genocide and occupation?

AJ+’s Dena Takruri looks into Ireland’s surprising ties to Israel and meets the people fighting to end them.

14 Oct 2025 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Is Netanyahu a war criminal? Prominent US senator skirts question

Cory Booker, a Democratic senator considered one of the possible candidates for president in 2028, has declined to give a clear answer when quizzed on whether he thinks the Israeli prime minister is a war criminal.

“Benjamin Netanyahu, do you think he’s a war criminal?” Booker was asked on the I’ve Had It Podcast.

“These are questions that a lot of people think are the important litmus tests that are loaded and hot,” Booker responded. “My urgency is to be an effective leader in bringing an end to this crisis. And I get these questions all the time that, to me, undermine my urgency.”

Pressed further as the host demanded a yes-or-no answer, Booker added: “Do I think Netanyahu is worse than Trump? Yes.”

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crime charges in Gaza, including using starvation as a weapon of war.

UN investigators also declared last month that the Israeli military is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians at the orders of the political authorities in the country, which Netanyahu leads.

14 Oct 2025 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

Photos: Red Cross transports captives’ bodies back to Israel

Red Cross vehicles transport the bodies of deceased captives from Gaza [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]
A Hamas soldier stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle arrives to pick up the remains of Israeli abductees [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]
Red Cross vehicles transport the bodies of deceased captives from Gaza [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]

14 Oct 2025 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Trump pushes for captives’ bodies to be urgently returned from Gaza

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from the White House

The US president seems anxious to move this process along. We know he has been pleased with the praise he’s gotten for his diplomatic achievement in getting the ceasefire.

But, the US president, just about an hour before he was speaking here at the White House, saying Hamas needs to disarm, was also lamenting the fact that there are not yet the full number of bodies of the deceased captives that have been returned.

In fact, the US president posted on social media saying the job is not done, the dead have not been returned as promised. Phase two begins right now, he said.

It appears that Trump, who was very optimistic that things could progress, that rebuilding Gaza would be the easy part, may have, as many analysts projected, had a bit of naivete when it comes to understanding how things work in the Middle East, and now is beginning to understand the complexities.

Not wanting to see this process stalled in any way, he is using his might and his bully pulpit, if you will, on social media and in front of the cameras to try and continue the process and even accelerate it.

14 Oct 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

UN rapporteur praises South Africa push for justice in genocide case

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has welcomed South Africa’s decision to press ahead with its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“Peace without justice, respect for human rights and dignity, without reparations and guarantees of non repetition, is not sustainable,” she wrote in a post on X.

Earlier today, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country would not withdraw its case, despite the US-backed ceasefire deal that has ended the fighting in Gaza.

14 Oct 2025 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

US State Department highlights Trump’s ‘President of Peace’ title

The US State Department has shared a photo repeating Trump’s favourite boast: that he has ended multiple wars, some real, some that never actually happened, such as one between Egypt and Ethiopia.

He has now added Israel and Hamas to that ever-growing list, dubbing himself “The President of Peace”.

14 Oct 2025 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

Israel officially knocked out of World Cup qualifiers

It’s confirmed. The Israeli national team, which is facing calls to be banned from UEFA and FIFA, will not make it to the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada next year.

Italy beat Israel 3-0 in Udine today, officially ending their run to make it to the World Cup. The match saw low attendance, with only 9,000 spectators due to boycotts, heavy security measures and protests on the streets throughout the day.

Footage showed some Italian fans booing the Israeli national anthem before the game.

Read more here about the push to ban Israel from international football over its genocide in Gaza.

14 Oct 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

UN food agency says opening all Gaza crossings a priority

UN World Food Programme director for Gaza says opening all crossings for food aid to flood the Gaza Strip is a top priority, and he hopes world leaders who attended the “peace summit” in Egypt will push this forward.

“We believe that the ceasefire opens the way for a scale-up, but it’s just the beginning related to a proper recovery,” Antoine Renard said. “What is so adamant is that you have all the different capacity to reach population where they are.”

Since October 5, the UN has reinstated 10 industrial bakeries in central and southern Gaza, he said. “It’s practically half a million people being covered now with bread. But that is not enough.”

The UN hopes to see at least two dozen bakeries as part of its scale-up, Renard said.

Israel continues to block key crossings and restrict crucial aid from getting into famine-hit Gaza despite the ceasefire that came into effect last week.

Palestinians gather at a bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza [File: Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
14 Oct 2025 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

One wounded in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

We reported earlier that an Israeli air raid targeted the town of Wadi Jilou, east of Tyre.

According to several Lebanese media outlets, the attack seriously injured at least one person, bringing the number of casualties in Lebanon to three today.

Earlier, a separate attack wounded two people.

14 Oct 2025 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Unexploded bombs pose ‘enormous’ risks in Gaza: NGO

Unexploded ordnance in Gaza poses “enormous” risks for displaced people returning home during the US-led ceasefire, the NGO Handicap International warns, calling for the entry of equipment needed for de-mining.

“The risks are enormous – an estimated 70,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on Gaza” since the start of the war, said Anne-Claire Yaeesh, the organisation’s director for the occupied Palestinian territory.

Handicap International specialises in mine clearance and assistance to victims of antipersonnel mines.

“The layers of rubble and levels of accumulation are extremely high,” Yaeesh said.

She warned that the risks are aggravated by the “extremely complex” nature of the environment. In January, the UN’s Mine Action Service estimated that “5 to 10 percent” of the munitions fired on Gaza had not exploded.

14 Oct 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

PFLP voices support for crackdown on Gaza gangs

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine says it “values” the Hamas-led campaign against the “dens of crime” and suspected Israel collaborators in Gaza after the ceasefire.

“What is happening on the ground reflects the national Palestinian consensus on the need to protect the internal front,” the left-wing group said in a statement.

On Sunday, clashes erupted between an armed clan and Hamas security forces, killing at least 27 people, including eight members of Hamas, according to the Ministry of Interior in Gaza.

Hamas fighters ahead of a captive release in Deir el-Balah in February [File: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]
14 Oct 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

White House lauds Trump’s ‘indomitable resolve’ over Gaza deal

Trump’s White House is using big words to celebrate what it has called the US president’s “diplomatic triumph”.

“President Donald J Trump’s indomitable resolve and masterful diplomacy culminated yesterday with the release of all remaining hostages, an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a robust foundation for sustainable peace,” it said in a statement.

“Indomitable” means invincible or difficult to defeat.

“Amid whirlwind visits to Israel and Egypt, President Trump celebrated this generational victory for peace and heralded a new era for a region long plagued by strife,” the White House said.

While Trump has been taking a victory lap over the truce in Gaza, many questions hang over the deal. Israel has already killed at least nine Palestinians today, and it said it would restrict aid to the territory.

It is also unclear who will ultimately govern Gaza, whether Hamas will agree to disarm, and when Israel will withdraw from the territory. That’s not to mention the unresolved issues in the broader conflict, including the continuing Israeli occupation and settlement expansion in the West Bank.

US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
14 Oct 2025 - 21:11
 (21:11 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli army confirms return of 4 captives’ remains from Gaza

Israel’s military says the coffins containing the remains of four captives have now crossed the border into Israel.

“Four coffins of deceased hostages, escorted by [military] forces, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and are on their way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out,” it said in a post on X.

Hamas has returned eight bodies of slain captives from Gaza over the past day. It says it is trying to locate 20 more for handover.

14 Oct 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Israeli military confirms Red Cross receives four bodies from Gaza Strip

By Hamdah Salhut

Reporting from Amman, Jordan

Al Jazeera is reporting from Jordan because it has been banned from Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military has confirmed that the International Committee of the Red Cross has received the bodies of four people from the Gaza Strip.

That leaves the bodies of 20 captives still inside Gaza. In its statement, the Israeli military said Hamas must uphold its end of the deal and release all remaining bodies — a point that has become a major sticking issue.

Mediators and Israeli officials had anticipated difficulties, given that much of Gaza lies in ruins and locating the bodies is a significant challenge.

Nevertheless, Israel has confirmed it expects to receive eight bodies in total.