On October 8, President Trump announced that a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel has been reached, citing an end to the two-year war. The 20-point peace plan is set to advance the well-being of Gaza and eliminate fighting within the region. The first phase of this plan is already in effect with both parties releasing all hostages and prisoners that have been captured since October of 2023. Hamas returned twenty living hostages and the remains of four to Israel. Maintianing their part of the deal, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees.

This peace agreement outlines the steps needed in order to resolve many pressing concerns within Israel. The second step of this plan states that, “Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.” In addition to this, step three highlights a crucial point that most citizens living within these regions have waited to hear. The White House states, “If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end.” So far these steps have already been accomplished as both sides of the war agreed to the guidelines listed in the plan. This is a relief for many, even to people living in other countries who have continuously expressed support for a ceasefire in Israel. Since October 7, 2023, this war has devastated both Hamas affiliates and Gaza citizens resulting in the destruction of numerous homes, hospitals, and overall terrain. The survivors left in these regions have been living with limited resources and forced to relocate several times over the past two years.

This agreement, however, is tenuous as tensions between the two parties have risen since the signing of this agreement. Both claim that they are violating the ceasefire deal. Israel argues that Hamas went against the deal by not returning all of the outlined hostages back to Gaza. Hamas, however, stated that returning any more remains would take longer due to the overwhelming destruction and debris that’s covering many bodies. They also claimed that Israel violated the instated peace plan by killing numerous Palestinians to which Israel responded by claiming that these individuals ignored Israeli ceasefire positions. Both parties have stated that they are committed to following through with this peace plan, however as the days pass, the power of this agreement is precarious.