On October 14, 2025, US President Donald Trump utilized his Truth Social platform to affirm the successful culmination of the initial phase of the ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas. This milestone involved the safe return of all twenty individuals who had been held captive, bringing a significant measure of relief to the region.
However, President Trump immediately underscored that the overall mission remained incomplete. He stated: “All 20 hostages are back and doing as well as can be expected. A huge weight is lifted, but the work is not yet finished. The deceased have not been returned, as was promised."
This critical statement referenced the preceding day's events, where militants had only transferred the remains of four deceased hostages. This action constituted a breach of the original stipulations of the truce agreement, which mandated the handover of all 28 bodies. Hamas representatives subsequently claimed that locating the remaining bodies proved challenging, attributing this difficulty to the hostages being held by various factions and having perished in disparate areas across the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, in the same public address, Trump formally declared the commencement of the second stage of his previously unveiled, comprehensive 20-point peace blueprint.
This extensive plan encompasses measures far beyond the immediate release of captives. Key elements include establishing a temporary, technocratic Palestinian government dedicated to the sector's reconstruction, the mandatory disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of an international peacekeeping mission. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his strong endorsement of the proposal, characterizing it as an initiative that “opens the door for the historic expansion of peace in our region.”
Despite the humanitarian success achieved, significant political barriers persist. Officials from Hamas, notably Mahmoud Mardawi, have publicly asserted that they have not received the written text of the plan. This lack of official documentation underscores the complexity inherent in finalizing the operational details of the accord. Transitioning from a hostage rescue operation to fundamental structural change necessitates absolute clarity of intent from all participating parties to ensure long-term viability.
The framework for this transition was laid just prior, on October 13, at the “Peace Summit” held in Sharm el-Sheikh. There, a declaration outlining steps to terminate the acute phase of the conflict was signed by more than twenty global leaders. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, also participated in the summit, which aimed to inject momentum into the long-term vision for Gaza’s recovery.
Analysts caution that ultra-right factions within Netanyahu’s coalition, specifically Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, might actively seek pretexts to accuse Hamas of violations, potentially derailing the implementation of the agreement. Ultimately, the focus must shift toward creating the necessary conditions to transform the very root causes of the conflict. Experts stress that durable peace requires not only the disarmament of Hamas but also the opening of economic avenues that integrate Gaza into the global economy. True completion of the mission, therefore, transcends mere political or military boundaries, resting instead on forging conditions for prosperity where cooperation becomes the default choice.