Gaza war

What we know so far

• 19 October 2026: The World Food Programme said funding shortages were forcing it to reduce food assistance in Gaza by about one third, affecting about 500,000 people.^[5]
• 19 October 2026: The UN said Israeli attacks over the preceding weekend had killed at least six Palestinians, including children, despite the ceasefire agreement.^[6]
• 10 October 2026: Al Jazeera reported that more than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since the war began; a UNRWA situation report of 24 September 2026, citing local health authorities, gave 73,914.^[3][4]
• 14 October 2026: Al Jazeera reported 1,501 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire, while UN News later cited OCHA data listing 1,493 fatalities.^[10][6]
• 10 October 2026: Al Jazeera reported that Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania, Kosovo, and Uganda had committed personnel to a proposed security force.^[3]
• 1 October 2026: A Security Council Report forecast said Israeli forces retained territory beyond the Yellow Line, the boundary of the roughly half of Gaza that Israel was permitted to hold during the first phase of the ceasefire.^[4]
• 23 September 2026: The Board of Peace proposed a six-month, $2.45 billion program for reconstruction and governance in Gaza.^[8]
• 9 August 2026: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ruling out the Board of Peace's 15-point document.^[4]
• 31 July 2026: US President Donald Trump said the Board of Peace had reached an agreement to disarm Hamas and other militant organizations in Gaza.^[1]

War began

7 October 2023^[1]

Current ceasefire began

10 October 2025^[2]

Palestinian deaths since the current ceasefire

1,493, according to OCHA data cited by UN News^[6]

Cut in food assistance

About one third, according to the World Food Programme^[5]

People affected by the cut

About 500,000^[5]

Israeli control reported by AP

About 60% of Gaza^[8]

Proposed reconstruction program

$2.45 billion over six months^[8]

Proposed international security force

20,000 soldiers and 12,000 police^[3]

Background

According to figures cited for the war's opening events, the attack killed 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, and 251 people were taken hostage.^[1] Israel assembled a force of more than 100,000 soldiers and launched a ground invasion of Gaza on 27 October 2023.^[1] At the height of the conflict, the United Nations reported, it had displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians and more than 100,000 Israelis internally.^[1] As of 20 October 2026, about 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure had been destroyed, and water, electricity, and sanitation services were severely disrupted.^[1]

0:42 Two years of war BBC World Service, October 2025: Gaza's ruins and the chain of events set off by the attack of 7 October 2023.

Timeline

A temporary ceasefire on 22 November 2023 provided for a four-day pause, the release of 50 hostages, and the release of about 150 Palestinian women and children.^[1] A second ceasefire began on 19 January 2025, after a Qatari-mediated agreement was announced on 15 January.^[1] Israel ended it with an attack on 18 March 2025 that killed more than 400 people.^[1] The third ceasefire began on 10 October 2025 and was still the governing ceasefire as of 20 October 2026, although hostilities continued after it took effect.^[2][6]

0:20 Waiting for the ceasefire AP, October 2025: displaced Palestinians in central Gaza wait for the ceasefire to take hold, their homes destroyed.

1. 2023-10-07 The war began after Hamas led an attack on Israel that killed 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals and took 251 hostages.^[1]
2. 2023-10-27 Israel began a ground invasion of Gaza after assembling more than 100,000 soldiers.^[1]
3. 2023-11-22 Israel and Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire that included a four-day pause and prisoner releases.^[1]
4. 2025-01-19 A second ceasefire took effect after a Qatari-mediated agreement.^[1]
5. 2025-03-18 Israel ended the second ceasefire with an attack that killed more than 400 people.^[1]
6. 2025-10-09 Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of Trump's peace plan in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.^[2]
7. 2025-10-10 The third ceasefire took effect after Israeli forces completed their withdrawal to the Yellow Line.^[2]
8. 2025-11-17 According to Security Council Report, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 and authorized deployment of the International Stabilization Force.^[4]
9. 2026-07-31 The Board of Peace announced a 15-point roadmap that it said Hamas had accepted.^[4]
10. 2026-09-23 The Board of Peace proposed a $2.45 billion, six-month reconstruction and governance program.^[8]
11. 2026-10-19 The UN reported continued fatal attacks and the World Food Programme announced reduced food assistance.^[6][5]

Parties and their stated positions

On 30 July 2026, Ghazi Hamad said on behalf of Hamas that it would not implement any part of the disarmament agreement if Israeli forces failed to meet obligations for withdrawal and reconstruction progress.^[9] Al Jazeera had reported that the agreement linked disarmament to those conditions.^[9] On 9 August 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ruling out the Board of Peace's 15-point document.^[4] Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov told the UN Security Council on 26 August 2026 that Hamas's agreement to disarm in exchange for Israeli withdrawal represented a breakthrough and established one authority, one law, and one weapon in Gaza.^[4] Israel and Hamas each attributed ceasefire violations to the other, including incidents in October 2025 and the incomplete return of hostage remains.^[1][2]

Diplomacy and negotiations

Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of Trump's peace plan in Egypt on 9 October 2025, and the third ceasefire took effect the next day, after Israeli forces withdrew to the Yellow Line.^[2] On 17 November 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions, endorsing the Comprehensive Plan, welcoming the Board of Peace, and authorizing the International Stabilization Force.^[4] On 14 January 2026, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the second phase and the formation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.^[2] Trump said the board's charter was ratified by leaders from 18 founding nations on 22 January 2026.^[2] By October 2026, according to a Security Council Report assessment, the administration committee had prepared a six-month recovery program but was still outside Gaza, at a temporary base in Cairo.^[4]

Military events

PBS NewsHour and AP reported on 19 August 2026 that Israeli strikes had killed at least 1,273 people since the ceasefire, according to health officials in Gaza.^[7] The report described a strike on a seaside cafe that killed seven Palestinians, including a child, and two strikes that killed at least ten people, among them eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl.^[7] Al Jazeera reported on 14 October 2026 that strikes had killed 1,501 Palestinians since the ceasefire.^[10] On 19 October 2026, the United Nations reported that attacks over the preceding weekend had killed at least six Palestinians, including children.^[6] Israeli forces said on 18 August 2026 that they had completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct and would open investigations into two cases: the 2024 deaths of Hind Rajab and her family, and the 2025 deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics.^[7]

Humanitarian impact

OCHA data cited by UN News listed 1,493 fatalities and 5,299 injuries since the October 2025 ceasefire.^[6] On 19 October 2026, the World Food Programme said funding shortages were forcing it to reduce food assistance by about one third, affecting about 500,000 people as winter approached.^[5] As of 20 October 2026, about 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure had been destroyed and essential services were severely disrupted.^[1] The extent of the destruction and disruption could not be independently established from the cited material.^[1]

0:38 The World Food Programme cuts aid Al Jazeera, 19 October 2026: the WFP says about half a million people will lose monthly food assistance because of a funding shortfall.

Economic effects

The war had cost Israel 168 billion shekels (more than US$50 billion) as of September 2025.^[1] By September 2024, the United States had provided $14.5 billion in aid from an allocation of $22.76 billion for military assistance.^[1] On 23 September 2026, the Board of Peace proposed a six-month, $2.45 billion reconstruction program covering 66 projects.^[8] It remained a proposal, and the cited material did not establish that it had been funded or implemented.^[8] In Gaza itself, severe damage to civilian infrastructure and disruption of water, electricity, and sanitation services were reported as of 20 October 2026.^[1]

International reactions

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on 21 November 2024 for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.^[1] In September 2025, the UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that four of the five acts defined as genocide in the Genocide Convention had occurred in Gaza since 7 October 2023.^[1] On the proposed international security force, a Security Council Report assessment of 1 October 2026 said Morocco and Kosovo had formalized troop pledges in July and September, but that only a fraction of the roughly 20,000 personnel initially envisioned might deploy.^[4] Al Jazeera reported on 10 October 2026 that Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania, Kosovo, and Uganda had committed personnel to the force.^[3]

Latest developments

Netanyahu's statement on 9 August 2026 that Israel was ruling out the Board of Peace's 15-point document cast uncertainty on the implementation of later phases.^[4] AP reported in September 2026 that the Israeli military occupied about 60% of Gaza, while an October Security Council Report said Israeli forces held territory beyond the Yellow Line, which marked about 50% of Gaza.^[8][4] On 23 September 2026, the Board of Peace proposed a $2.45 billion reconstruction and governance program.^[8] On 10 October 2026, Al Jazeera reported that six countries had committed personnel to the proposed international security force and that more than 1,400 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire.^[3] Four days later it reported 1,501 Palestinian deaths since the ceasefire, while UN News cited OCHA data listing 1,493 deaths on 12 October 2026.^[10][6] On 19 October 2026, the UN reported that attacks over the preceding weekend had killed at least six Palestinians, including children.^[6] The same day, the World Food Programme announced a reduction in food assistance affecting about 500,000 people.^[5]