A year has passed since the Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect on 10 October 2025, while most of its long-term commitments remain unimplemented. Outstanding issues include disarmament, security and political arrangements, the restoration of basic services and the reconstruction of affected communities in the Strip.
In a post on X, Kushner praised what had been achieved through the hostage-release and ceasefire agreement, but acknowledged the difficulty of completing the remaining commitments. He wrote: “There is still hard work ahead. Disarmament must be implemented, security established, basic services restored and communities rebuilt.” Kushner added: “None of this will be easy. But we have a well-thought-out plan, committed partners and a path forward that did not exist a year ago.”
Hostage release and continuing strikes
Three days after the agreement was announced, Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages who had been held since the 7 October 2023 attack. Israeli areas bordering the Gaza Strip also saw calm, amid the absence of the rocket attacks previously carried out by the movement. At the same time, Israel continued to launch near-daily strikes on the Strip, albeit at a lower rate than before.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, about 1,450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began. Official data cited by Agence France-Presse indicates that Israeli forces still control about 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip, even though the agreement allowed them to remain in 53 per cent of it.
Political arrangements and the administration of the Gaza Strip
The agreement’s second phase was due to include a political transition ending Hamas’s rule, along with the formation of a Palestinian committee of technocrats, headed by Ali Shaath, to administer the Strip. Hamas announced in July that it was dissolving its governing body and handing administration over to the US-backed committee, but neither the committee nor its chairman has entered Gaza.
At the same time, the movement continues to effectively manage security affairs inside the Strip. Hamas has also announced its readiness to give up its weapons, but the disarmament process has not begun. Israel is demanding that the movement be stripped of all weapons in a verifiable manner and refuses to begin withdrawing its forces before this demand is met, leaving the next phase of the agreement on hold.
