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Displaced Palestinians hope to return home amid ceasefire talks

Displaced Palestinians hope to return home amid ceasefire talks
By Caolán Magee, Umut Uras, Joseph Stepansky and Usaid Siddiqui
Published On 7 Oct 2025

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7 Oct 2025 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

Read more on Hamas’s demands as negotiations to end the war on Gaza take place in Egypt here.

As Italy and Israel face off in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match next week, see here for security concerns surrounding the match.

And to keep up with all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, click here.

7 Oct 2025 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this page soon. Here are today’s main events:

  • US President Trump again expressed optimism over a Gaza peace deal and said a US mediation team just left to take part in the Egypt talks.
  • Hamas detailed its main conditions including a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from all of Gaza, and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid.
  • The release of high-profile Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti is reportedly being demanded by Hamas in a captive-prisoner exchange, Egyptian media report.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged, “We will continue to act to achieve all the war’s objectives: the return of all the hostages, the elimination of Hamas’s rule, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
  • Israel has repeatedly denied permission to transfer incubators from an evacuated hospital in northern Gaza, worsening conditions in overcrowded health centres farther south where newborns are now sharing oxygen masks, UNICEF says.
  • The Palestine Red Crescent Society says 29 of its staff have been killed in Gaza while carrying out humanitarian and medical duties since the war began two years ago.
7 Oct 2025 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

US mediators ‘won’t leave Egypt without an agreement’: Report

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are on their way to Sharm el-Sheikh where they will join negotiations on Trump’s Gaza proposal on Wednesday morning, the US media outlet Axios reports.

Witkoff and Kushner will remain in Egypt until a deal is reached “to release the hostages and end the war”, it cited two unnamed sources familiar with the process as saying.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, is set to join the talks, the news report said.

As we reported earlier, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will also arrive in Egypt for the mediated negotiations on Wednesday.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner will arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, Axios reports [File: Brendan Smialowski/AFP]
7 Oct 2025 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Japan warns Israel against abandoning two-state solution

Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has warned Israel that any action to destroy the foundation of a two-state solution will lead Tokyo to consider sanctions against Israel or the recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Marking the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Iwaya said it’s essential to stop Israel’s one-sided actions, achieve a sustainable ceasefire, an immediate release of all captives, and support humanitarian relief to Gaza.

All parties should act in accordance with a plan proposed by President Trump, he said.

“In case of a development that completely destroys the foundation of the two-state solution, Japan will consider all options including sanctions against Israel or a recognition of a Palestinian state,” Iwaya said.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya [File: Issei Kato/Reuters]
7 Oct 2025 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Netherlands urges full opening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing

Foreign Minister David van Weel visited the Rafah border crossing from the Egyptian side, expressing hope US President Donald Trump’s plan will help fully reopen it and humanitarian aid can surge into famine-hit Gaza.

Speaking at a news conference at the crossing, van Weel voiced “deep concern” over the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and praised Egypt’s role in facilitating the entry of aid and medical evacuations, according to Egyptian media reports.

He expressed hope Trump’s proposal will “improve conditions on the ground and fully reopen the crossing from the Palestinian side to allow a smoother flow of aid”.

Thousands of trucks loaded with medical and food supplies are waiting for Israel’s permission to enter besieged Gaza.

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel, right, and Egypt’s North Sinai governor Khaled Megawer, left, visit the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday [Reuters]
7 Oct 2025 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

Egypt talks focused on key obstacles to ‘end tragic war’: Qatar

Here are more details from the briefing that Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari gave:

  • Qatar remains committed to the success of ongoing negotiations on US President Donald Trump’s peace plan “and the pursuit of a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, marking an end to this tragic war”.
  • Negotiations are currently focused on identifying “key obstacles hindering the implementation” of Trump’s plan, and on “clarifying the practical details of its execution”.
  • Some details discussed include the deployment of international forces in Gaza, the exchange of captives and prisoners, and humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.
  • “All parties involved are strongly supportive of the plan and are working toward consensus,” but there are “numerous technical details [that] remain to be addressed”.

As we reported earlier, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will join the mediated negotiations on Wednesday.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani [File: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
7 Oct 2025 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Trump meets former Israeli captive at White House

The US president has met an American captive freed from Gaza and the family of an American-Israeli soldier killed there but whose remains have not yet to be recovered.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a photo online of Trump meeting in the Oval Office with Edan Alexander. He was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The meeting was not public. Trump also met this summer with Alexander, who was the last living US captive in Gaza at the time of his release in May.

Edan Alexander reunites with his family after being released in May [Israeli Army via AP]
7 Oct 2025 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

US’s top diplomat vows ‘unwavering’ backing for Israel

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has marked the two-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel with a pledge that the United States remains “unwavering” in support for Israel.

In a statement, Rubio also lamented a “troubling rise” in anti-Semitism around the world, and said there would be “no compromise” in combating it.

“The United States reaffirms its unwavering support for Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself, and to ensure the safety of its people,” Rubio said.

“As the United States marks this tragic anniversary and honours the victims, we renew our resolve to prevent such evil from ever taking place again.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit the Western Wall last month [Nathan Howard via Reuters]
7 Oct 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

WATCH: Trump says ‘very close’ on Gaza peace plan deal

As we’ve been reporting, indirect negotiations between Israeli and Hamas delegations have concluded for today in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The talks are based on a 20-point plan proposed by Trump to end the war.

“There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters earlier. “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East.”

Trump said the US would do “everything possible to make sure everyone adheres to the deal” if Hamas and Israel do agree on a ceasefire, although he did not elaborate.

Watch below:

7 Oct 2025 - 22:23
 (22:23 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli police shoot young Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli forces opened fire on a young Palestinian man near Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

A video shared online by The Palestinian Information Center shows the man lying on the ground as armed police approach those trying to help him.

Translation: Occupation forces open fire on a young man in the Baidoon neighbourhood near Bab al-Maghareba in occupied Jerusalem

7 Oct 2025 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

How many Palestinians killed in West Bank since October 7?

As the war on Gaza rages, regular raids by Israeli forces and attacks by settlers have continued in the occupied West Bank.

In two years, 1,048 Palestinians, including 212 children, have been killed in the territory. More than 10,151 have been wounded.

At least 19,000 Palestinians have been detained, with 11,040 incarcerated as of October 1. Of those detained, 3,577 have been held without charges.

7 Oct 2025 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)

‘We’re standing up for everyone’: UK protester pushes back on PM criticism

Demonstrators in London have denounced comments by the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who earlier criticised their decision to hold pro-Palestine protests on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel.

In an op-ed for the Times, Starmer appeared to directly link such protests to anti-Jewish sentiment. He said the protests are being used by some as a “despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility”.

He further called the decision to protest on October 7 “un-British”.

Protester Sim Junaid dismissed the claim.

“We’re showing up for Jews, for Muslims, for Christians, showing up for everyone today,” Junaid told Al Jazeera. “I think to make it a story about anti-Semitism is where Keir Starmer just has completely missed the narrative.”

7 Oct 2025 - 22:04
 (22:04 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli attacks kill 118 people in Gaza since Saturday

The Government Media Office in Gaza has released a statement saying Israeli forces have launched 230 air attacks on Gaza since Saturday, killing at least 118 people.

The dead included women and children, and 72 people in besieged Gaza City alone.

“The Israeli occupation continues its brutal aggression against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, ignoring the calls for a ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, and the positive response offered to the proposal,” the office said in a statement on Telegram.

Trump urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza” on Saturday morning, saying Hamas is “ready for a lasting peace” after the Palestinian group responded to his proposal to end the war.

7 Oct 2025 - 21:55
 (21:55 GMT)

‘Hell upon hell’ as Gaza people endure 2 years of devastating war

On the two-year anniversary, the anguish of loss and a desperate wish for a merciful end resounded across the war-battered Palestinian territory.

“Our families have died, our homes are gone. We pray to God this war will end as soon as possible, today instead of tomorrow,” said Sanaa Adwan from Gaza’s southern Khan Younis.

Ghassan Abu Rejeila said the war has stripped Gaza of everything that gives life meaning, whether it’s a family gatherings or a decent meal. His wish to watch his children in their school uniforms pursue their education is no more.

“We’ve lost the beautiful moments [in life]. Our life has become hell upon hell. Every day there is killing, strikes, death, martyrdom.”

For Maha Shbeir, a doctor at Nasser Hospital, the last two years feels like decades filled with tragedy, suffering, homelessness and hunger. After being displaced eight times it’s as if “my soul was leaving my body”, she said.

Relatives mourn over the body of a man killed in an Israeli strike at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis [File: Mariam Dagga/AP]
7 Oct 2025 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

WATCH: Israelis mark two years since October 7 with tributes to loved ones

Israelis have marked two years since the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, holding vigils to remember those killed and pray for those still held captive in Gaza.

Watch the video below:

7 Oct 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Iran dismisses Netanyahu claim it’s developing missiles that can reach US

Iran has dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim its developing a ballistic missile that could hit cities in the United States.

In an interview with US podcaster Ben Shapiro released on Monday, Netanyahu said “Iran is developing now … intercontinental ballistic missiles for 8,000km [about 5,000 miles] range”.

“What does that mean? They add another 3,000km [about 1,865 miles] and they’ve got under their guns … New York City in target, Washington, Boston, Miami, Mar-a-Lago,” he said, referring to the Florida residence of US President Trump.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the comments. “Israel is now trying to make an imaginary threat out of our defence capabilities,” he wrote on X.

7 Oct 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Six activists from Gaza aid flotilla remain in Israeli detention

The Israel-based Adalah legal centre says the jailed aid activists are citizens of Norway, Morocco, and Spain and promised to continue “to demand their immediate release”.

“Six participants who were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, unlawfully intercepted and detained on their way to Gaza amid the ongoing genocide, remain in Israeli detention,” a statement said.

Lawyers submitted requests to Israeli authorities to visit the detainees on Wednesday if they remain in custody. Israeli media earlier reported that authorities extended the detention of Spanish activist Reyes Rigo Cervilla for one week.

Last week, Israeli naval forces seized a flotilla of more than 40 boats heading to Gaza to challenge Israel’s illegal blockade of the enclave, detaining more than 470 activists from more than 50 countries.

7 Oct 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

LISTEN: Israel’s reckoning two years after October 7

Two years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, talks in Egypt could bring an end to the conflict.

Inside Israel, divisions are widening, isolation is deepening and the costs of the war are harder to ignore.

The Take podcast examines what the moment reveals about the country’s shifting sense of itself.

7 Oct 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Hamas seeking release of prominent Palestinian Marwan Barghouti

Hamas is demanding the release of high-profile Palestinian inmate Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli jail as part of ongoing negotiations on a hostage-prisoner exchange, Egyptian state-linked media report.

Al-Qahera News, which is close to Egypt’s intelligence services, reported talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh are focusing on lists of Palestinian inmates to be freed by Israel under a potential ceasefire deal.

Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party and imprisoned since 2002, is among several high-profile detainees whose release is being sought by Hamas. Other names mentioned include Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh, and Abbas al-Sayed.

Indirect talks have been under way since Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh as part of a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in 2023 [File: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images]
7 Oct 2025 - 20:35
 (20:35 GMT)

Israeli army shells Gaza City neighbourhoods

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting the Israeli army has carried out artillery shelling targeting the Shujayea and Daraj neighbourhoods east of Gaza City.

Since President Trump called on Israel to halt its bombing campaign, at least 104 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli army.