21:50:00

Analysis: Middle East could be on a new path or face going back to its old ways - these are momentous days

By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor

The coming days will start to set the Middle East on a new path or back to its bad old ways.

It seems almost certain now Israel's hostages are on their way home. Massively weakened Hamas cannot afford to alienate an American president. It is also under huge pressure from the Arab world to deliver.

These will be momentous days for Israelis. The plight of the hostages has tormented an entire nation.

And for Gazans, they  have no chance of returning to normality, 75% of their homes have gone. But they try now and rebuild their lives.

And aid can flow back in to Gaza, essential to feed its people and give them places to lift however temporary.

All of that though may be the easy bit.

Because what happens next is both crucial and still to be determined. No agreement or plan has actually been signed and some urgent questions need settling soon.

Watch: Could Gaza ceasefire lead to a much bigger peace?

Most pressing, who is going to maintain security for Gazans two million people? From France to Indonesia, countries have volunteered troops, but there is no sign yet of marshalling them into a coherent force.

Without them in Gaza's devastated hellscape, chaos and factionalism could soon thrive.

That means a new way of running Gaza is also an urgent priority.

The deal proposes an authority overseen by the US president, and others including Tony Blair, detested by many still for his part in the Iraq war. Hamas says foreigners cannot run the lives of Palestinians.

Hamas has agreed to step back from governing Gaza but it can continue to exist as an organisation.

Regional and international players are converging on Egypt early next week to conjure up a new way of administering Gaza.

The fear is Hamas rallies and regroups in the shadows, focusing on social and civil programmes and returning eventually as the dominant force again.

Israel will not tolerate that and the region will return to square one.

Donald Trump swings through Israel on Monday, taking the credit for his diplomatic success. But it will add up to little if the seeds are sown for a return to the ways of the past, before October 7.

To secure a different future will require the US president, his allies and partners across the region to keep up massive pressure on Israel and Hamas and to be creative.

How they decide Gaza must be kept secure and governed will determine its future and that of the region potentially for years to come.

21:30:00

Former US secretary of state says Trump has 'historic opportunity' but warns 'tremendous challenges lie ahead'

Former US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who served under Joe Biden between 2021 and 2025, has called for Donald Trump's post-war plan to be implemented as soon as possible,"with eyes wide open about its challenges".

In a long thread of posts on X, Blinken said the images of hostages being reunited with their loved ones and the people of Gaza getting respite from the war have been seen before.

"Under President Biden's watch, we secured the release of 135 hostages and, in January 2025 we handed over a ceasefire with Israeli forces pulling back, tens of thousands of aid trucks going into Gaza and a post conflict plan for a permanent end to hostilities," he wrote.

'Trump adopted and built on Biden administration's plan'

But Blinken goes on to say that moment"was squandered", and that the question is now how to make this moment last.

"It starts with a clear and comprehensive post conflict plan for Gaza," Blinken said.

"It's good that President Trump adopted and built on the plan the Biden Administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"It centres on temporary, transitional authorities for Gaza's governance, security, humanitarian assistance, and rebuilding, led by Arab and international partners alongside Palestinians, backed by the United States, and ultimately handed over to full Palestinian control."

He said that a durable peace in Gaza and a credible path to Palestinian statehood alongside a secure Israel can also "re-energise the game-changing effort to normalise Israel's relations with all its neighbours".

"Tremendous challenges lie ahead that will require sustained focus, pressure and persistence to overcome," he added.

"But President Trump has a historic opportunity to help make that vision real. I pray for his success, and the success of everyone working toward that goal, because peace, once achieved, belongs to no single leader or nation.

"It belongs to all who have suffered… to all who, despite everything, have kept the hope of peace alive and never stopped working to achieve it…and to all who will enjoy lives of security, dignity and opportunity when lasting peace is finally achieved."

21:05:00

'Trump could visit Gaza - but not immediately'

Earlier this week, our US correspondent Mark Stone and correspondent Alistair Bunkall answered your questions after Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of Donald Trump's peace deal.

Stone explained that Trump could well visit Gaza, but pointed out that it's not likely to happen any time soon.

"He's not going to want to get his boots dusty just yet... what a photo opportunity that would be," he said.

"Of course, him with the hostages would be an extraordinary moment when it happens, but Trump in Gaza, well, that would be something that he and his team would want to make happen at some point."

As we've been reporting, Trump confirmed he will be visiting Egypt and Israel on Monday for a one-day trip to mark the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the scheduled release of Israeli hostages.

20:40:00

In pictures: American flags and signs thanking Trump at Hostages Square

Back to Hostages Square now, where crowds waved American flags and held up signs in support for Donald Trump as the US president's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke this evening.

Witkoff told the Tel Aviv crowd that"miracles can happen" and that Trump "would have loved" to see the celebrations (see 18.24 post) after the first phase of the Gaza deal was signed.

Scroll through the pictures below to see the reaction from the thousands watching on as they spoke.

20:15:00

'Question of the ceasefire holding depends on one person'

The secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative has said the damage inside Gaza is"beyond description".

"People's homes are destroyed, hospitals are destroyed, schools are destroyed and universities are destroyed," Mustafa Barghouti told our presenter Jonathan Samuels.

"It's going to take a huge, huge effort to create some sort of relief, not only for the Palestinian prisoners who will be released, but the people of Gaza."

Asked whether the ceasefire will hold, Barghouti said"it depends on one person - Benjamin Netanyahu" as he warned the agreement could "explode and destroy everything but the basic three of four points" in the first phase of the deal.

Gaza 'doesn't need Blair for many reasons'

On the prospect of Tony Blair being part of an international supervisory body in Gaza, which is outlined in Donald Trump's 20-point plan, Barghouti said"we don't need him for many reasons".

"His reputation in Iraq is horrible, he has a not very clear reputation I would say, and finally when he was here in Palestine for seven years he didn't do anything," he said.

"The whole history is not good."

Watch the full interview below.

World Food Programme scales up operations in Gaza and warns need for aid 'has never been greater'

The UN's World Food Programme has started scaling up its operations in Gaza as the ceasefire paves the way for international aid groups to resume operations.

"With full access, WFP intends to restore its regular food distribution system," it said in a post on X, adding that"humanitarian needs in Gaza have never been greater".

In a statement, it said the more than"170,000 metric tonnes of food" was ready for dispatch or travelling via "Ashdod, Egypt, Jordan and the West Bank corridors".

It follows the UN's Palestinian aid agency saying that it has enough food to feed the"entire population in Gaza for three months" (see 15.25 post).

For context:  Under the terms of Donald Trump's ceasefire plan, up to 600 trucks of humanitarian aid should enter Gaza a day.

Step seven of the plan sets out a requirement for aid to be immediately sent into Gaza. At a minimum, this will include rehabilitation of infrastructure, hospitals and bakeries and the delivery of equipment to remove rubble and open roads.

The aid will be distributed through the UN, its agencies, the Red Crescent, and other"international institutions".

19:25:00

Analysis: Boos for Netanyahu 'not really surprising' as Hostages Square filled with sadness as well as joy

Our international correspondent Alex Rossi was in amongst the crowd during Steve Witkoff's speech, and he says Donald Trump's Middle East envoy received"quite a reception".

Rossi points out that there were loud boos when Witkoff mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although he says that's"not really surprising".

"People have been here for more than two years now, campaign running every weekend, holding rallies to try and pressure the government to do more to bring the hostages home," he explains.

Rossi says that he spoke to one man in Hostages Square a few days ago whose father died four months after being held in captivity.

"His view is very much that his father could have come home alive had more been done," he says.

"Although there was a great deal of joy here, there is also quite a lot of sadness as well."

Watch his full analysis below.

Trump's daughter tells Hostages Square 'he stands with you always'

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka is the last of the three US speakers to address Hostages Square.

She says"we stand here together in Tel Aviv, we honour the strength of every family waiting, praying and believing".

"Over the last two years, the president, myself, Steve, Jared and so many others have met these incredible people and I am in awe by their strength and conviction in spite of such suffering," she adds.

"The president wanted me to share, as he has with so many of you personally, that he sees you, he hears you, he stands with you always."

She goes on to say the return of each hostage is "a triumph of faith, of courage and of our shared humanity".

18:50:00

Trump's son-in-law says deal 'wouldn't have been possible' without 'amazing' IDF

Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who joined Steve Witkoff in the negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Egypt, says"what will rise from this trauma will be a level of greatness".

"I encourage you all to go forward, to seize that opportunity," he says.

"As we close this chapter, let's learn from the challenges and the pain of the last few years and let's do our best to Make Israel, to make the region, to make the world as peaceful.

"To build bridges of understanding, to eliminate hatred in ourselves, hatred for others and to really lead with love and understanding."

Kushner goes on to thank "the amazing soldiers of the IDF".

"Without their heroism and brilliance and bravery, this deal would not have been possible," he says.

18:36:49

Witkoff tells hostage families 'you have carried the moral weight of this nation'

In a direct address to families of hostages, Steve Witkoff says"each and every one of you have carried the moral weight of this nation".

"Your courage has moved the world and has touched me in ways that I have never been touched before in my entire life," he says.

"Your courage has moved this world."

Witkoff now addresses the hostages directly, and says"you are coming home", prompting more loud cheers from the crowd.

"Your stories have lived in every heart, here tonight and in mine since I began this job," he adds.

"Your endurance, your faith, your will to live have been symbols of the human spirit that cannot ever be broken.

"And now, as you return to the embrace of your families and your nation, know that all of Israel and the entire world stands ready to welcome you home with open arms and endless love."