Israeli protesters arrested – Crowd tries to block soldiers from entering Gaza

A group of Israeli protesters have held a demonstration along the border with Gaza, trying to block soldiers from entering the besieged Strip. They say they are angry about Israel’s interception of an international flotilla that was trying to bring aid to Gaza.

Since Wednesday, Israel’s naval forces have stopped dozens of boats carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza, detaining about 500 activists from more than 40 countries.

Netanyahu ordered drone attacks on flotilla aid boats moored in Tunisia: Report

Prime Minister Netanyahu directly approved an illegal drone attack on two vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla docked in Tunisia, US outlet CBS News reports, citing American intelligence officials briefed on the matter.

The officials, who spoke to CBS anonymously as they were not authorised to speak publicly, said Israeli forces launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices onto the boats, which were moored outside Tunisian port Sidi Bou Said, causing a fire.

No one was killed or injured in the attacks, which targeted a Portuguese-flagged vessel and a British-flagged vessel in separate incidents on September 8 and 9.

The use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations or objects is prohibited in all circumstances under international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.

The Israeli military and Netanyahu have yet to comment.

This week, Israeli forces intercepted more than 40 civilian boats and arrested about 500 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla as they attempted to break Israel’s siege on Gaza.

Malaysian PM says he disagrees with ‘much’ of US plan, but ‘priority’ to save Palestinian lives

Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim has said his government still holds major reservations about Trump’s Gaza plan, despite several countries sounding their support following Hamas’s Friday statement signalling their agreement with core elements of the proposal.

“The peace plan presented by the United States is not perfect, and we even disagree with much of it. However, our current priority is to save the lives of the Palestinian people,” he said on Saturday.

“The endorsement by Arab and Islamic countries is not a sign of agreement with everything outlined in that plan, but a collective step to halt the bloodshed, reject expulsion and give the people of Gaza the opportunity to return to their homeland,” Anwar said.

Israel, Hamas see ‘way out’ of war and ‘wiggle room’ in Trump plan: Analyst

Glenn Carle, a former US intelligence officer, told Al Jazeera earlier that both parties in the conflict are seeing Trump’s plan for Gaza as a “way out” of the fighting that also allows “a lot of wiggle room” to interpret details to their advantage.

“There has been an impasse from both sides,” Carle said, adding that the comments by all sides on the ceasefire plan “give them outs and leeway to continue doing what they want to do”.

“So I think it is a success in the making in that it will stop the fighting – that’s progress. And it will ease the situation for the Palestinians. But both sides have given themselves a lot of wiggle room, as you read their statements,” Carle said.

“Hamas is in a tight spot. It really has no way forward except to release the hostages. It is doing so to take some of the pressure off and survive,” he said.

“There is a recognition that the White House is pressuring Netanyahu and Hamas is in a difficult circumstance, and so it is in each side’s interest – at least in the narrow sense – to stop the fighting for now,” he added.

It's not a fight nor conflict nor war, it's a genocide / ethnocide / holodomor. The impasse has always been on the Israeli side. But it will be great if Trump can actually get Netanyahu to kill fewer Palestinians daily. Now get the aid in to start trying to avert further man made famine.

Another Zionist bootlicker

India’s Modi hails Trump’s efforts to deliver ‘decisive progress’ in Gaza

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised Donald Trump’s “leadership” for his peace efforts in Gaza that have made “decisive progress”.

In a post on social media, Modi tagged the US President’s X accounts, saying: “Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward. India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace.”

We welcome President Trump’s leadership as peace efforts in Gaza make decisive progress. Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward.

India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 4, 2025

Trump ally Graham calls for Hamas to release captives before peace talks start

Earlier, we reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office had signalled Israel’s readiness to implement the “first stage of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages”.

Republican Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham, a major Trump ally, has now said in a post on X that he “totally agree[s]” with the Israeli leader’s statement.

“Release the hostages and then we can negotiate within the confines of Israel’s war aims and President Trump’s 20 point plan for peace,” he said.

In an earlier post on X, Graham described Hamas’s acceptance of the main elements of Trump’s plan as “a classic ‘Yes, but’.”

“This is, in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump’s ‘take it or leave it’ proposal,” he said.

Crucially, Netanyahu’s statement made no reference to Trump’s call for Israel to immediately halt its attacks on Gaza, which he said was a vital precondition for the safe return of the captives.

Hamas’ recent response to President Trump’s plan to end the war — which Israel had accepted — is unfortunately predictable. A classic “Yes, but.”

No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems.

This… https://t.co/s4Q31AkZac

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 3, 2025

Anyway people in Gaza are getting a bit of a break from the daily massacres

Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza reports ‘de-escalation’ in attacks after Trump announcement

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said it was unclear if the Israeli bombing of the territory had stopped, as demanded by President Trump.

But the enclave had experienced an unusual quietness around midnight as Trump was due to speak in Washington, DC, after Hamas had agreed in principle to key points in his 20-point plan for the war-torn territory.

Smoke is still rising over the north of the enclave and small arms fire and the movement of Israeli military vehicles can still be heard clearly, he said.

But “compared to the past few days, the intensity of the bombardment and the use of extreme firepower is definitely less this morning and could be the beginning of a complete halt. But we don’t know when that is going to happen,” Mahmoud said.

“There is a clear de-escalation,” he said, adding that the distinct sound of Israeli drones – ever present in the sky over Gaza – could not be heard this morning.


_{Relatives and loved ones mourn those killed in Israeli attacks at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza, on Friday}

PM Netanyahu reportedly ‘shocked’ at Trump’s positive response to Hamas

Israeli media is reporting that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is surprised and shocked after some of these words by the US president, saying that Hamas’s response is essentially heading in a positive direction and also calling for Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza.

Netanyahu reportedly wanted to coordinate a response, a joint Israeli-American response, to what Hamas was saying – so that it wouldn’t actually be seen as positive.

It just goes to show where perhaps Netanyahu’s head is at.

He still has to meet with his government. He still has to discuss this deal within his coalition. It’s going to have to come to a vote, ultimately.

But the Israeli opposition leader is saying that Netanyahu will have a political safety net – meaning that the opposition parties could step in and form a sort of unity government if members of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition don’t want to be involved in this deal.

They [a unity government] would pass this deal, and then the country would go to elections.

We are also hearing from family members of Israeli captives who say they completely support what the US president is saying, including the stopping of bombardment inside of Gaza – because they fear it’s only going to harm and perhaps kill captives who are still being held there.

Within Israel, there is a lot of political turmoil to begin with, and in less than 24 hours, we are going to see protests on the streets of Israel calling for this deal.

Hope now Israel will allow flow of aid to enter Gaza and not restrict to ‘trickle’

The hope now, with this sudden change in the tone and the narrative; hopefully humanitarian aid will be allowed at an amount that is necessarily sufficient to address the deepening humanitarian crisis, and not similar to what happened during the [last] ceasefire.

In January, when the ceasefire was announced, the Israeli military only allowed a trickle of aid.



Many practical aspects of Trump’s plan still unclear

The practicalities of the implementation of Trump’s plan are still unclear.

We heard from the mediators that there are still discussions that must take place about the logistics and the implementation of the plan. Everybody understands that Trump’s plan was more of a road map than a detailed text on implementation.

How Hamas and other factions will be given freedom of movement to reach the captives and the bodies of the captives is a question. How and where the captives will be released is another question.

It is also unclear who will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange for captives.

In Israel, families of the captives welcomed Hamas’s announcement while the government took its time to react.

The government circles were shocked by the announcement, and it took some time for Netanyahu to welcome the developments and to only talk about a first phase of the plan.

PIJ says it agrees with Hamas’s position on Trump’s plan

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad says Hamas’s statement also expresses the position of other Palestinian groups.

The PIJ “participated responsibly in the consultations that led to this decision”, a brief statement on Telegram said.

Hamas said on Friday it was ready to release captives held in Gaza under a deal proposed by Trump, but wanted negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory.

President Abbas stresses sovereignty over Gaza as key to lasting peace

In addition to welcoming statements by Trump and Hamas, Palestinian Authority’s President Abbas also said: “Sovereignty over the Gaza Strip belongs to the State of Palestine, and the connection between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip must be achieved through Palestinian laws and governmental institutions, through a Palestinian administrative committee and unified Palestinian security forces, within the framework of a single system and law, and with Arab and international support.

“The Presidency will continue to work with relevant mediators and partners to ensure the success of these efforts, leading to the achievement of a lasting peace that ends the Israeli occupation of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.

“The international community of its responsibility to compel Israel to cease all its unilateral measures that violate international law, foremost among which are halting settlement activity and settler terrorism, attacks on holy sites, and the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues.”

Two children killed in Israeli attack on tent in southern Gaza

The Israeli army has carried out a drone strike on a tent in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, killing two children and wounding several people, our colleagues on the ground are reporting, quoting a source at the Nasser Medical Complex.

The deaths are the first confirmed casualties in Gaza since President Trump instructed Israel to “immediately” halt its bombing of the enclave after Hamas responded positively to the peace plan.

Al-Mawasi was designated a so-called “humanitarian zone” by Israel.

Seven people killed in Gaza despite Trump telling Israel to stop bombing

Gaza’s civil defence agency has said Israel carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City despite Trump’s appeal to end bombardments after Hamas agreed to a deal.

Seven people have been killed across the Strip since dawn today.

“It was a very violent night, during which the [Israeli army] carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told the AFP news agency.

Basal said 20 homes were destroyed in overnight bombardments.

Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital said in a statement that it received casualties from a strike on a home in the city’s Tuffah neighbourhood, including four dead and several wounded.

Gaza’s Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said two children were killed and eight people were wounded in a drone strike on a tent in a camp for displaced people.

Some in Gaza celebrating despite ambiguity of ceasefire

There’s been an increase in quietness across Gaza: less of the heavy machineguns, the drones and the bombardment, apart from two or three explosions that took place in northern Gaza City.

These were bombs that were planted last night and were not detonated until in the past couple of hours. But in central and southern Gaza, people are getting into a celebratory mood now. They can’t believe there is an acceptance by Hamas, and there was a positive response by Trump.

People’s first question is about whether they can walk back to Gaza City. Of course, there isn’t a definite answer to this, and we are being told to wait until further notice. The news puts a question mark on other important issues, mainly humanitarian aid. People are still living through famine here.


Israeli army issues threats to Palestinians against returning to Gaza City

The Israeli army has warned Palestinians from returning to Gaza City, terming it a “dangerous combat zone”. The threat comes after President Trump told Israel to stop bombing Gaza following Hamas’s partial acceptance of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Urgent Announcement and Warning to All Residents of the Gaza Strip. The area located north of Wadi Gaza remains a dangerous combat zone. Staying in this area poses a significant risk, and therefore Rashid Street remains open for you to move south,” an Israeli army spokesperson said on X.

“For your safety, avoid returning north or approaching areas of Defense Army forces’ operations anywhere in the Strip – even in its south.”

‘Overwhelmed and lacking basic supplies’: Gaza’s healthcare system on the brink

We’ve spoken to Ruth James, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa humanitarian coordinator, who is currently in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, about the deteriorating healthcare situation in the besieged territory.

James said that over the past week, she had visited three primary healthcare clinics in Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis and al-Mawasi, where staff all told her “pretty much the same story”.

“That they were already completely overwhelmed and not able to get hold of enough medicine and enough supplies that they needed to be able to treat people that were coming to their clinic – and that was before the mass forced evacuation order from Gaza City that was issued on September 9,” she told Al Jazeera.

James said the clinics also had programmes treating children under five and pregnant and lactating women suffering with severe acute malnutrition.

“They all reported to me that the numbers are increasing month by month,” she added, noting that one clinic reported that 40 percent of the pregnant women there had severe acute malnutrition.

James also underlined that a combination of things leads to such high levels of hunger and malnutrition, including the lack of food but also a lack of water and basic hygiene.

“One of the clinics I visited was seeing 1,500 patients a day and they had one latrine, one toilet there – and it wasn’t even one separate for men and women,” she said, noting lack of access to clean water and toilets results in the spreading of diseases and infections, particularly for women.

Israeli air raids hit Gaza despite Trump’s ‘stop bombing’ demand

Gaza’s civil defence agency has reported that Israel conducted dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City – despite President Trump’s demand to halt bombardments following Hamas’s partial acceptance of a ceasefire deal.

The proposal for Gaza, unveiled by Trump this week with Israeli PM Netanyahu’s support, outlines a ceasefire, the release of captives within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

‘Hamas seems to be doing its best to end the war’

Sami Al-Arian, a professor of public affairs, says there is hope that Trump’s plan can lead to the end of the war.

“I think it is going to depend on how Trump is going to deal with the issue of the Israeli army’s withdrawal from Gaza and the issue of the release of the captives,” said Al-Arian, a director at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University.

“I believe the resistance – Hamas and other factions – have decided that they want to do their best to bring this to an end,” he said, adding that if Trump is serious about ending the war, there is a path in that direction through his plan.

What pressure is Trump going to put on Israel?

Certainly, in these negotiations, we will get the first real chance to see whether anything has really changed – or if, once again, this ends up being yet another ruse effectively to get Hamas to release the Israeli captives while allowing Israel to continue their genocide.

With that in mind, why is Israel still bombing Gaza? Donald Trump was very clear in his social media post: Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza. It’s clear they have not.

What pressure is going to be put on Israel to make sure they abide by Donald Trump’s directive?

Chance to stop Gaza carnage ‘once and for all’: UN rights chief

Volker Turk has called the growing momentum to end the war on Gaza a “vital opportunity”.

According to a statement by Turk’s office, the UN rights chief expressed hope “for a permanent cessation of hostilities, followed by recovery and reconstruction, in line with international human rights and humanitarian laws, and the much needed two-state solution”.

“This is a vital opportunity for all parties and influential States to pursue in good faith and stop – once and for all – the carnage and the suffering in Gaza, to flood the strip with humanitarian aid, and to ensure the release of the hostages and numerous detained Palestinians,” his office said on X.