6m agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 10:25pm

What it is like to be displaced

By Basel Hindeleh in Jerusalem

When Israel re-invaded Gaza City in mid-August, hundreds of thousands of already displaced Palestinians had to flee again.

The ABC asked Majeda to document what it’s like to be displaced as she and her family made the journey to the south.

For a month, she shared regular voice notes and the ABC sent journalists in Gaza to interview her.

More than 400,000 have moved south since August and now thousands are streaming back north.

Read more of Majeda’s story and listen to some of her voice notes:

27m agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 10:04pmEuropean Union welcomes peace deal that ‘all sides agree’ on

The EU would continue to support the Palestinian Authority, “including in its ongoing reform, and in view of its return to Gaza, and also through the Palestine Donor Group,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“This is a real chance to end the devastating war and the human suffering, and to forge a credible political path towards lasting peace and security, based on the two-state solution.”

The EU was also prepared to contribute to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza conflict and would continue to support the delivery of humanitarian aid, working with UN agencies and international NGOs.

“We call on all parties to fully implement the agreement without delay, allowing for the establishment of a lasting ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and the unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza.”

46m agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 9:45pm

Analysis – Trump has proved what an American president’s pressure can do

Finally, the hostages are set to be released, and the bombs are expected to stop.

There’s some truth to the argument that Hamas sometimes embeds itself in civilian targets, but it’s also correct to say that no country in the world is better at targeted assassinations than Israel.

If Israel had wanted to, it could have more strategically targeted Hamas officials and fighters, sparing classroom after classroom of babies and children being blown up.

While Donald Trump undoubtedly deserves credit for stopping the fighting, this ceasefire plan is far from a longer-term resolution, writes Americas editor John Lyons in Washington DC.

1h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 9:30pm📷: Palestinians head to destroyed neighbourhoods

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are returning to neighbourhoods that have been heavily destroyed.

A Palestinian boy lies on a mattress amid the rubble in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. (AP: Jehad Alshrafi)Palestinians inspect a damaged armored personnel carrier left behind by Israeli forces in the Zeitoun neighborhood. (AP: Jehad Alshrafi)Displaced Palestinians gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)1h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 9:14pmDonald Trump to visit the region

Israeli police said they were preparing for Donald Trump’s visit on Monday, which officials said would include a speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, the first by a US president since George W Bush in 2008.

Mr Trump said he would head to the region on Sunday, perhaps to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt.

Axios, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, reported on Friday that he planned to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza while in Egypt.

Reporting with Reuters

1h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 9:00pmNetanyahu says Hamas must disarm ‘easy way’ or ‘hard way’

The first phase of Donald Trump’s plan to end the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group gives Israeli troops 24 hours to pull from positions in urban areas, although they will still hold more than half of Gaza.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces were staying in Gaza to ensure Hamas was disarmed: “If this is achieved the easy way, then that will be good, and if not, then it will be achieved the hard way.”

Reporting with Reuters

1h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 8:45pmHamas, Palestinian factions reject ‘foreign guardianship’ over Gaza

Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine rejected any “foreign guardianship” over Gaza, stressing that its governance was a purely “internal Palestinian matter”.

“We stand ready to benefit from Arab and international participation in the areas of reconstruction, recovery, and development support, in a way that promotes a dignified life for our people and enhances the Palestinian people’s wellbeing,” they said in a joint statement.

The next phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan calls for an international body – the “Board of Peace” – to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration. The plan calls for Mr Trump to lead it and includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Reuters/ABC

2h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 8:30pmThousands flock north

By Basel Hindeleh in Jerusalem

As soon as the ceasefire started at midday on Friday local time, thousands of Palestinians who have been displaced to the south started walking to the north.

“We are very happy. We are celebrating our loved ones. We’re going to see our loved ones and our neighbours,” Wissam Al-Durra, 23, told the ABC.

“I am excited, but I got upset because our home was destroyed,” Obaida Ayoud, 73, said.

Read more from Wissam and Obaida here:

2h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 8:15pm

Memories from the rubble

When displaced 25-year-old Nour Alsaqa imagines herself back home in Gaza City, she remembers the little things. 

She is standing in a room that overlooks the garden, with her easel and watercolours.

There is music drifting from her bedroom where her best artwork hangs on the wall.

2h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 8:13pmWhere did the IDF withdraw to

By Basel Hindeleh in Jerusalem

Here’s a map released by the IDF shortly after it announced the ceasefire had started.

It said its troops had withdrawn to the agreed-upon locations along the yellow line, which is just outside the ruined cities.

A map of Gaza with a yellow line dotted inside of itThe IDF has released a map of Gaza showing what it said was the current extent of troop deployment along the yellow line. (Supplied: IDF)

Palestinians were told not to approach IDF troops or attempt to go to the far north or south or even into the sea because they were “extremely dangerous”.

But they were told that they can move from south to north via two routes: al-Rashid which runs along the coast, and Salah al-Din which is closer to the centre.

The yellow line was first announced by US President Donald Trump last week as part of the deal Israel agreed to.

2h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 8:02pmUN ready to send more aid immediately

A spokesperson for the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the body is ready to send more aid into the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

Under the first phase of the plan, Hamas is expected to release all remaining hostages, dead or alive, in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

The location of the remains of the dead hostages is unknown, and a multinational task force will be established to locate them.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says this should be followed by increased access for humanitarian workers looking to supply aid.

2h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 7:47pm📷: Palestinians return to ruins in Gaza

Palestinian families displaced since the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas two years ago have started returning to their destroyed homes in Gaza.

A Palestinian girl carries a bag on her head as she walks along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)An elderly displaced Palestinian woman carries an item past destroyed buildings in Khan Younis. (AP: Jehad Alshrafi)A family rides on a truck loaded with water tanks, furniture and other belongings near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)Displaced Palestinians cling to the back of a truck loaded with belongings. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)3h agoFri 10 Oct 2025 at 7:28pmGood morning, and welcome to our live blog

A ceasefire has come into effect in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expected release of hostages, as part of the US-brokered peace deal.

Palestinian families displaced since the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas two years ago have started returning to their destroyed homes in Gaza.

Here’s what has happened overnight:

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has announced that a ceasefire in Gaza had come into force, as of midday local time (8pm AEDT) on Friday.The IDF said troops had begun positioning themselves along “updated deployment lines” — which are the areas Israel had agreed to withdraw to as part of the deal struck with Hamas.This will allow the release of Israeli hostages within the next 72 hours, according to the IDF.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces will remain in Gaza to pressure Hamas until it disarms.

Our team in the Middle East and reporters here at home will be bringing you the latest as it breaks in the coming hours. Stay with us.