The Popular Forces captured Adham al Akar, a Hamas company commander in Rafah, and transferred him to Israeli custody. Akar’s capture underscores the growing role of local anti-Hamas militias in conducting offensive operations against the Islamist organization. However, with the ceasefire framework expected to bring further Israeli military withdrawals from Gaza, these groups may face mounting strategic risks.
On January 16, the White House announced a number of appointments to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) and the Board of Peace, which will support the stabilization and demilitarization of Gaza, after the Gaza ceasefire, which began in October, moved into its second phase on January 14. The Israel Defense Forces clashed with gunmen in the territory on January 14 and responded with airstrikes.
The search resumed this week for the body of Ran Gvili, a police officer killed on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas invasion of southern Israel. Despite being given only 72 hours to return all hostages, both living and deceased, on October 10, Hamas has yet to do so.
In late December, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) replaced the 2nd Reserve Infantry Brigade and Kfir Brigade in Gaza with the 16th Reserve Infantry Brigade and 188th Armored Brigade, respectively. The IDF continues to deal with threats from terrorists along the Yellow Line in the territory, and an Israeli soldier was wounded on December 24 by an explosive device. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared for a trip to Miami to meet US President Donald Trump.
In contrast to its ambiguity about casualty announcements during the recent war with Israel, Hamas confirmed the killing of veteran senior leader Raed Saad and additional operatives. Israel said Saad held multiple senior positions within Hamas and was among the planners of the October 7 attack.
Israel continues to wait for the last deceased hostage, Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, to be returned from Gaza. Reports indicate that the US is expected to announce members of the Board of Peace in early 2026 and appoint a two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF). UN Ambassador Mike Waltz visited Israel and discussed the next steps in Gaza with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Palestinian terrorists again ambushed Israeli troops in the southern Gaza hotspot of Rafah, injuring five soldiers, one seriously, and marking the first instance of the Israeli military taking casualties in over a month. Palestinians have violated the truce in the territory at least seven times in the past week, according to Israel Defense Forces reports.
Palestinian terrorists violated the ceasefire 14 times between November 22 and 26, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reports. Among these incidents were an attacker using a humanitarian aid route to shoot at Israeli troops and at least three instances of terrorists emerging from tunnels in Rafah on the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow Line. Palestinian Islamic Jihad also returned the body of a hostage after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of violating the ceasefire by delaying the transfer.
On November 25, Hamas transferred the body of Dror Or, an Israeli hostage whose body had been held in Gaza for more than two years. Israeli troops continued to clash with Hamas terrorist cells in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, as the Israeli military continues reporting ceasefire violations along its Yellow Line of control. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ended its work in the territory, noting that it had distributed 187 million meals since May.
Ceasefire on paper. Chaos on the ground. Trump’s 20-point plan promises “peace” in Gaza — but Hamas is already violating the ceasefire, gaming hostage returns, killing rivals, and rearming in tunnels. Bill Roggio is joined by his FDD colleagues Samuel Ben-Ur and Aaron Goren to discuss why disarming Hamas is a fantasy, why an international force risks becoming UNIFIL 2.0, and why Israel may be forced to finish the war.
The US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in southern Israel primarily coordinates humanitarian aid entering Gaza and monitors the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. A visit by FDD’s Long War Journal to the site on November 20 showed that US Central Command (CENTCOM) has committed significant resources to this effort, which now involves nearly 50 countries and organizations.
As phase one of the ceasefire in Gaza continued to bend but not break, Israel reported that Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations continue to violate the terms. Notably, another shooting attack on Israeli troops this week led to retaliatory airstrikes across the enclave. Separately, the situation surrounding 200 holed-up Hamas operatives in Rafah remains unresolved.
Hamas rejected UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which endorses US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, immediately after its passage. The resolution also called for the establishment of the Board of Peace that would temporarily govern Gaza and oversee the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF). Continued challenges to the establishment of an ISF and Hamas’s rejection of the resolution and refusal to disarm place the future of the peace plan in question.
The Israeli military continues to eliminate Hamas tunnels in the 50 percent of Gaza still under its control after the ceasefire deal signed in Egypt in early October. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir traveled to the territory to meet with troops on November 16 and said, “We will persist in the mission of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.” He also stated that the army had to be prepared to transition back to fighting if necessary.
According to the IDF, Palestinian terrorists have violated the Gaza ceasefire on at least six occasions since November 7. The incidents over the past week have been nearly identical, with terrorist operatives testing the boundaries of the “Yellow Line” marking Israeli-controlled territory almost daily. These issues have been compounded by 200 Hamas members trapped in tunnels under Rafah in Israeli-controlled territory.
Hamas continued to hand over the remains of Israeli hostages between November 1 and November 5 as part of the ceasefire agreement that has largely held for almost a month. The remains of the last two American hostages held captive in Gaza were returned and identified. As of November 5, seven deceased hostages remained in the territory. The transfers took place as negotiations are reportedly underway regarding Hamas members who are trapped in tunnels in Rafah.
An Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza in an attack on October 28, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes across the territory in response. “The targets struck included key terrorists, observation posts, weapons production warehouses, launch posts, underground tunnels, and mortar shell firing posts,” the IDF said. In addition, Israel released drone footage that appeared to show Hamas staging the discovery of the remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement through the slow return of the remains of hostages and continued attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it killed four members of Hamas who took part in kidnapping Israelis from the Nova Music Festival on October 7. Among these Hamas members killed was Arafat Dib, whose family established a GoFundMe page to raise funds in the wake of his death. The IDF also highlighted four other Hamas members whom it killed for their roles in infiltrating Israeli territory.
Hamas has told Arab mediators that it will not carry out any more public executions, as the acts have threatened the stability of the group’s ceasefire with Israel. However, Hamas’s Arrow Unit has continued to carry out violent public beatings of Palestinians who have been accused of committing a range of crimes.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) opened a Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel on October 17. The center is will monitor the ceasefire in Gaza and support stabilization efforts as US military personnel “help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza,” CENTCOM said on October 21. US forces will not deploy inside Gaza. Alongside Israeli military officers, the site will include a British contingent and other partners. US Vice President JD Vance visited the site on October 21.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and several wounded in a terrorist attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah neighborhood on October 19, according to the Israeli military. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) executed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza. One series of strikes used 120 munitions to target a Hamas tunnel that was several miles long. The IDF also continued demarcating the Yellow Line that now marks the extent of its control in the territory.
Anti-Hamas militias have emerged in several locations across the Gaza Strip, aiming to erode the group’s control. Some of the militias reportedly receive Israeli support, and others rely on their tribal networks for backing.
Hamas has embarked on a campaign against opposing militias and clans in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire with Israel took effect on October 10. Hamas’s Arrow Unit has conducted public executions and threatened more against those it has deemed collaborators with Israel.
Hamas began transferring the bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on October 13. By October 15, it had transferred eight corpses, and Israel had identified seven of them as hostages. Israel said it would not reopen the Rafah crossing to Gaza and would consider limiting aid if all the 28 deceased hostages were not returned in line with a deal agreed to in Egypt on October 8. The IDF warned Gazans not to approach Israeli forces, which continue to control 50 percent of the territory and are deployed in positions dubbed “the Yellow Line.”
Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages on October 13, handing them over to the Red Cross, which transported them to Israeli officials. Hamas is also supposed to hand over the bodies of 28 hostages held since its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that the deal agreed to in Egypt on October 8 constitutes a victory for Israel. The IDF completed a withdrawal from several areas of Gaza as part of the agreement.
As a part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel is set to release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Among the prisoners to be released are members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other armed organizations. FDD’s Long War Journal has profiled 10 of these individuals who were imprisoned for high-profile attacks and crimes.
Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal overnight between October 8 and 9. This initial phase is supposed to see the release of 48 Israeli hostages, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive, and a withdrawal by the IDF from some areas of Gaza. Israel’s cabinet convened to vote on the deal on October 9, with hostages set to return by October 14. The agreement followed talks in Egypt mediated by delegations from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with US, Hamas, and Israeli delegations present. The Israeli military in Gaza prepared to redeploy to new lines as talks progress to the next phase.
An Israeli delegation traveled to Sharm el Sheikh on October 6 to begin talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza. US President Donald Trump announced on October 3 that Hamas had agreed to the 20-point Gaza peace plan he had announced on September 29. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said pressure must continue on Hamas to get the group to release the 48 hostages held in Gaza. Hamas has indicated that the talks in Egypt may take several days, and Trump has urged all parties to “move fast” to finalize the deal.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) extended operations and control in and around Gaza City between September 28 and October 2. Israeli troops moved west along the Netzarim Corridor, cutting off the city from Central Gaza. Israel’s minister of defense said that the IDF is tightening its siege around Gaza City and told remaining residents that it was their “last chance” to move south via IDF checkpoints along the coast. Five rockets were launched at Israel in the evening of October 1.
US President Donald Trump announced a peace plan for Gaza as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on September 29. During a joint press conference, Trump said that the proposal has the backing of numerous Arab and Muslim countries. Netanyahu accepted the proposal after several last-minute changes, according to reports. It is now up to Hamas to accept or reject the deal. The initiative envisions disarming Hamas and replacing it with a new government that will be backed by a “Board of Peace.”