Despite the ceasefire agreement coming into effect on October 10, 2025, Israel continued bombing, shelling and shooting in the Gaza Strip, expanding its occupation to about 70% of its area, and confining the Palestinians to an area not exceeding 30%.
The war broke out the day after Hamas carried out Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" on October 7, 2023, prompting Israel to respond with a large-scale military campaign called "Iron Swords," which included intensive air raids and then ground operations that extended to the north, center, and south of the Gaza Strip, in conjunction with imposing a tight siege and closing the crossings.
During the first few weeks, Israel issued orders to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip, before beginning its ground operations and establishing the Netzarim axis to separate the north and south of the Strip. The operations later expanded to Khan Yunis and Rafah, with control imposed on the Philadelphi Corridor bordering Egypt.
The war witnessed its first temporary truce in November 2023, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. It included an exchange of prisoners and the entry of humanitarian aid. In December of the same year, South Africa filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide.
In 2024, Israel continued its military operations, particularly in Rafah and Jabalia, while the UN Security Council adopted its first resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, though this did not end the war. The year also saw the assassinations of several senior Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, along with large-scale military operations and escalating international warnings of a looming famine.
On January 19, 2025, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect, including three phases encompassing prisoner exchange, cessation of military operations, and reconstruction. However, Israel resumed its military operations in March, coinciding with the closure of crossings and the tightening of the blockade. Subsequent rounds of negotiations, American proposals, and regional mediations continued without reaching a permanent agreement.
The same year also witnessed the implementation of prisoner exchange operations, and Israel launched new military operations, most notably "Gideon's Carts," in addition to approving a plan to gradually occupy the Gaza Strip, while American initiatives were put forward to manage the Strip in the post-war phase, including the formation of the "Peace Council," the "Gaza Executive Council," and other transitional bodies.
As 2026 began, the second phase of the ceasefire agreement commenced, according to an announcement by US envoy Steve Wittkopf, coinciding with Palestinian meetings to discuss the formation of a technocratic government and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, while Israel continued to expand its military control over large parts of Gaza, and rounds of negotiations continued in Cairo without achieving a breakthrough.
According to the timeline, the war has so far resulted in the martyrdom of 73,066 Palestinians and the injury of 173,514 others, most of them children and women, while about 90%of the civilian infrastructure has been destroyed. The United Nations has estimated the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip at about $70 billion, at a time when the humanitarian crisis continues to cast its shadow on more than two million Palestinians inside the Strip.
