A phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on 10 October 2025 after mediation led by the United States. The agreement marked the first stage of a 20-point roadmap and introduced a limited halt to nearly 2 years of devastating conflict in Gaza.
From War to Roadmap: Understanding the 2025 Gaza War Peace Plan Proposed by the Second Trump Administration for Israel and Hamas
Background and Origins of the War
An escalation in 2023 ignited one of the deadliest chapters in the region and revived decades of territorial disputes and grievances shaping Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
The conflict that culminated in the October 2025 ceasefire began after the large-scale assault launched by Hamas on 7 October 2023. That attack resulted in significant casualties and triggered extensive Israeli military operations aimed at eliminating militant networks and reestablishing control over the border and security conditions across Gaza.
Israeli airstrikes, ground incursions, and blockades caused severe destruction to homes, healthcare facilities, schools, and infrastructure throughout the territory. Large portions of the population were displaced as bombardments intensified in multiple regions, while access to food, water, medicine, and electricity deteriorated quickly under continuing siege conditions.
Several state and non-state actors repeatedly warned about the collapse of civilian services and the rapid escalation of famine conditions. A United Nations investigation even concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Previous attempts at limited truces failed to reduce hostilities and were undermined by distrust and renewed violence.
It is also worth noting that Israel and Palestine have been in a longstanding conflict due to territorial disputes. Confrontations emerged after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and intensified during the 1987 Six-Day War. Subsequent uprisings in 1987 and 2000, along with recurrent Gaza escalations since 2008, entrenched division, displacement, and unresolved territorial claims.
Mediation and Negotiation Process
International actors labored through distrust, political pressure, and stalled talks to craft a roadmap addressing hostages, guarantees, and humanitarian access.
Peace talks resumed through indirect channels in Egypt in January 2024. Representatives from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey worked to broker structured discussions between the two sides. Mediators attempted to create a framework that addresses security concerns, humanitarian access, and procedures for detainee and hostage exchanges.
Persistent disagreements over verification steps, withdrawal timelines, and exchange ratios prolonged the negotiation period. Delegations faced pressure from domestic audiences that viewed compromise as weakness, while international actors urged practical concessions to prevent further civilian deaths and the collapse of remaining institutions in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on 29 September 2025 a 20-point roadmap structured in phases. Mediators emphasized that confidence-building measures are necessary to begin releasing captives, limit military operations, and allow large-scale humanitarian deliveries under monitored conditions coordinated through international organizations.
Israel and Hamas signed the proposal on 9 October 2025. It took effect on October 10. The plan stipulates transitional governance, demilitarization, multinational oversight, and conditional statehood. These marked a shift from earlier truces toward structured and phased transformation across the political and security architecture of Gaza.
Inside the 20-Point Gaza War Peace Plan
The agreement outlines not only ceasefires and prisoner exchanges but also demilitarization, reconstruction, provisional governance, and multinational oversight.
The peace plan includes 20 points. Gaza is envisioned as a deradicalized and demilitarized zone that no longer threatens neighboring states and instead undergoes comprehensive redevelopment. All hostilities will cease, Israeli forces will withdraw to an agreed line, and military operations will be suspended while battle positions remain frozen.
All hostages taken by Hamas, regardless if living or deceased, will be returned within 72 hours of acceptance by Israel. The exchange also includes 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel and around 1700 individuals from Gaza detained after the 7 October 2023 attacks. Remains exchanges will occur at a specified proportional rate.
Humanitarian aid will enter Gaza without obstruction via international agencies such as the Red Crescent and the United Nations. Infrastructure rehabilitation will mirror benchmarks from the 19 January 2025 agreement to focus on hospitals, bakeries, utilities, rubble removal, and road access. The Rafah crossing will operate under established mechanisms.
Governance in Gaza will transition to a provisional technocratic committee monitored and advised by an international Board of Peace chaired by Donald J. Trump. An economic development plan will encourage investment, establish a special economic zone, ensure voluntary movement, and prohibit Hamas from future governance or military activity.
Immediate Responses and Developments
Israel withdrew, and humanitarian aid mobilized, but guarded optimism remains as officials and observers prepared for both breakthrough and potential reversals.
The initial phase began on 10 October 2025 with a directive for a 72-hour window dedicated to hostage releases and preliminary withdrawals. Israeli forces agreed to relocate to designated lines while humanitarian convoys prepared to enter areas previously rendered inaccessible due to dangers from shelling and obstructions from infrastructure destruction.
Humanitarian agencies coordinated logistics for increased deliveries of food, medical supplies, fuel, and shelter materials. The United Nations dispatched hundreds of trucks to support more than two million people. These included nutritional support for vulnerable groups and medical equipment for hospitals operating under emergency conditions.
Governments and organizations expressed cautious support for the ceasefire while acknowledging the possibility of renewed conflict. Humanitarian groups warned that a temporary cessation of hostilities could not resolve long-term issues such as reconstruction, civilian protection, political legitimacy, and the administration of devastated areas in Gaza.
Observers highlighted the importance of verification measures and third-party monitoring to track compliance. Israeli officials asserted that military forces would remain positioned until they were satisfied that Hamas had been sufficiently weakened. Hamas sought assurance that subsequent phases of the roadmap would proceed under agreed conditions.
Notable International Criticisms
The agreement risks reinforcing external control rather than fostering durable peace and sovereignty without equitable enforcement and meaningful autonomy.
Marika Sosnowski of the University of Melbourne reminded that the ceasefire framework risks becoming a coercive arrangement rather than a balanced peace deal. She described it as a structure in which Israel retains control over implementation, security conditions, and territorial oversight. These shape outcomes with limited Palestinian bargaining power.
Legal advocates also note that a credible peace agreement must align with international human rights law. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has stressed that Palestinian self-determination, protection of civilians, and accountability for violations cannot be subordinated to political convenience or imposed security demands.
Observers also warn that reconstruction, governance, and demilitarization plans could entrench external control if not carefully safeguarded by impartial mechanisms. Observers fear that promised development might mask long-term restrictions and restricted sovereignty without guarantees of equal participation, transparency, and enforceable legal standards.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad denounced the proposal as externally imposed but later noted that the decision of Hamas to sign the plan represents the stances of the Palestinian resistance forces. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called it a recipe for managing the war and an attempt to separate Gaza from the Palestinian territorial entity.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Bennett, T. 10 October 2025. “What We Know About the Gaza Ceasefire Agreement.” BBC. Available online
- Sosnowski, M. 10 October 2025. “The Gaza Ceasefire Deal Could be a ‘Strangle Contract’, With Israel Holding All the Cards.” The Conversation. Available online
- United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 3 October 2025. “Palestine: Any Peace Plan Must Respect International Law, Beginning With Self-Determination and Accountability, Urge UN Experts.” United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations. Available online
- White House Rapid Response. 30 September 2025. “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.” X. Available online