Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.
Hamas likely to push back on US-proposed map for redeployment of Israeli troops in Gaza
The US-proposed map for the initial redeployment of Israeli troops in Gaza represents the deepest Israeli lines of control presented during recent ceasefire negotiations – and is likely to draw pushback from Hamas.
According to a proposed map posted by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social, Israeli troops would remain as far as 6.5 kilometers inside southern Gaza, 2 kilometers inside central Gaza and 3.5 kilometers inside northern Gaza after the release of all 48 hostages.
The map represents a significant increase in Israeli control of Gazan territory compared with one that mediators presented to Hamas in mid-July, in which the deepest Israeli line of control stretched 1.6 kilometers into Gaza, according to a map published at the time. Even then, Hamas sought to push the Israeli lines further back.
The map proposed by the US hews closely to Israeli military lines reached before Israel launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots II in August, according to an Israeli source.
In his remarks Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted that “Hamas will release all of our hostages, and IDF forces will redeploy in a way that the IDF will continue to hold all of the controlling areas deep inside the Strip.”
Nearly 500 people arrested for supporting banned Palestine Action group, London police say
Nearly 500 people were arrested Saturday in central London for supporting the banned activist group Palestine Action, according to police in the British capital.
The Metropolitan Police said they arrested a total of 492 people in Trafalgar Square, 488 of them “for supporting a proscribed organisation.”
In September, at the last “Lift the Ban” demonstration in Parliament Square, more than 890 were arrested, some of them for holding signs that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” following the group’s designation as a terror organization in July. Similar signs were on show on Saturday.
Defend Our Juries, which has been instrumental in organizing the protests, estimated Saturday that over 1,000 people had gathered to oppose the ban on Palestine Action.
Some context: The pro-Palestinian activist group was proscribed as a terror organization after some of its members broke into the UK’s largest military base and vandalized two aircraft. Civil liberties advocates have slammed the ban as an assault on freedom of speech in Britain.
Among those arrested Saturday were a 79-year-old daughter of a Holocaust survivor, a Jewish 79-year-old man with a terminal illness and an 83-year-old Anglican priest, organizers said.
Authorities in Britain had cautioned pro-Palestine Action campaigners against demonstrating in Trafalgar Square in the wake of an attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur that left two dead earlier this week.
The Metropolitan Police claimed in a statement Friday that the need to arrest protesters “supporting a terrorist organization” in London would drain resources that could otherwise be used to protect Jewish people from violence.
Protest organizers agreed, saying that they urged the police to “choose to prioritize protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group.”
Trump says Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line in his Gaza proposal
US President Donald Trump says Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line outlined in his proposed ceasefire plan for Israel and Hamas.
In a post on social media Saturday, the president said the administration is now waiting for confirmation from Hamas.
If Hamas agrees, Trump said, a ceasefire would be “immediately effective” and a hostage and prisoner exchange would begin.
Watch: Netanyahu says Israel is on the verge of a major achievement
We brought you updates earlier on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the country, in which he expressed optimism about the developing ceasefire and hostage release plan.
If you missed it, here’s a key portion of Netanyahu’s speech, translated into English:
In Tel Aviv, hostage families and former captives urge action in familiar plea
Relatives of hostages in Gaza and former captives delivered a familiar message in Tel Aviv Saturday night, urging the Israeli government to follow through with a deal proposed by the White House to end the war in Gaza and return all the hostages home.
“In these special days — right after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — I choose hope,” said Ayelet Goldin, whose brother Hadar died fighting in Gaza in 2014, his body still held by Hamas.
“I cry out from here to the leadership — act! This is your time! We cry out here and take to the streets to support you in doing the right thing.”
One former hostage, Omer Shem Tov, addressed US President Donald Trump directly.
“You brought a deal that will finally end this nightmare for everyone,” he continued. “Now we have to make sure this deal happens. We have to make sure Hamas signs it.”
Israeli president gives “full backing” to Netanyahu's ceasefire efforts
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he gives his “full backing” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to release the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Let’s see our prayers come true!” Herzog said of the developing plans in a post on X today. The president also “wholeheartedly” thanked US President Donald Trump “for his leadership and moral clarity in bringing forward a concrete plan that offers real hope for change.”
Israel and Hamas have both indicated their willingness to move forward with negotiating the terms of a plan introduced by Trump.
Reaction in Israel: While many Israeli officials have welcomed the ceasefire plan, including the country’s opposition leader, domestic reaction has been mixed.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have slammed Trump’s proposal, saying it does not go far enough to maintain leverage over Hamas or eventually eradicate the militant group.
Romans march through Italian capital in solidarity with Gaza
Italy has seen a flurry of protests in recent days, some sparked by Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla that attempted to get to Gaza.
CNN’s Ben Wedeman in Rome describes the scene:
Tel Aviv is packed with protesters tonight
Tel Aviv is filled with demonstrators tonight as Israelis await news of a potential ceasefire and hostage deal brokered by the United States. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an estimated 120,000 people are in attendance.
At Hostages Square, demonstrators unfurled a huge black banner printed with the yellow hostage memorial ribbon reading, in white and red letters, “It’s now or never,” referring to a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. Hamas has agreed to immediately enter negotiations for a hostage release, though it hasn’t accepted the proposed plan unconditionally.
Some context: The proposal arrives on the cusp of a significant anniversary: Next week will mark two years since Hamas’ terror attack in 2023. As is customary every Saturday, smaller protests for the hostages are taking place throughout Israel this evening.
Earlier, in statements delivered next to the Israeli military headquarters, relatives of hostages urged the government to accept a deal and denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet members for their maximalist war aims.
Netanyahu outlines details on phases of plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the Israeli negotiating team, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to travel to Egypt to finalize the technical details of the hostage release.
Multiple phases: He explained that in the first phase of the plan, Hamas will release the hostages while the Israeli military redeploys as it still “maintains control of all of the dominant areas deep inside the strip.”
In the second phase, he said, “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized. This will happen either through the diplomatic path by the Trump plan or through the military path, but it will be achieved.”
While Hamas has said it is willing to negotiate for the release of all the hostages, it has not said it is willing to disarm — which is another key demand in Trump’s 20-point plan.
He claimed Israel’s military pressure was the key element that brought Hamas to this point in the ceasefire efforts.
Netanyahu expresses optimism for hostage release as Israeli military remains deep in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is hopeful that all of the Israeli hostages will be released within days, while the Israel Defense Forces remains deployed deep inside the Gaza Strip.
In a televised statement marking his first public comments on Hamas’ response to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, Netanyahu said:
Sukkot is a one-week Jewish holiday that begins on Monday evening.
The Israeli leader spoke mostly in Hebrew during the 5.5-minute statement, using only a few words in English to underscore a point.
Netanyahu just spoke in address to Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just gave remarks in a televised address to his country.
We’ll bring you updates as we get them.
Netanyahu’s far-right partners slam Trump proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners slammed the ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump in their first statements since Hamas said it was ready to immediately enter negotiations to finalize a deal.
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to quit the government “if, after the release of the hostages, Hamas continues to exist.” In a statement, Ben Gvir said, “We will not be part of a national defeat that would be shameful and that would become a ticking time bomb for the next massacre.”
The Trump proposal grants amnesty to any members of Hamas who “commit to peaceful co-existence” with Israel.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called it a “serious mistake” to conduct negotiations with Hamas not under fire.
Israel had said in the past that it would only negotiate with Hamas while the Israeli military is still bombarding Gaza, viewing it as a way of applying military pressure to Hamas. But Trump called on Israel to immediately halt its bombing of Gaza, effectively forcing Netanyahu to curtail Israel’s assault on Gaza City and across the battered enclave.
Neither of the two far-right lawmakers are threatening to leave the government immediately. Instead, they both indicate they will wait to see what happens after the hostages are released, which is the first phase of Trump’s ceasefire proposal.
As we reported earlier, Netanyahu has summoned both of them for a meeting this evening to Trump’s ceasefire proposal, according to two Israeli officials.
Israeli delegation to the ceasefire talks will be led by Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, sources say
Israel’s delegation to the ceasefire talks under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal will be led by Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the planning.
The delegation is also set to include Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the captives and the missing, as well as Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, the head of the military’s hostages unit. A representative from the Shin Bet security agency will also join the delegation, the source said.
Netanyahu summons far-right coalition partners to meeting
As we anticipate him to begin giving a televised address shortly, we’re learning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his far-right coalition partners — Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich — for a meeting this evening to discuss President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal, according to two Israeli officials.
Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who were observing the Jewish Sabbath Saturday, were not informed of Hamas’ response to Trump’s plan on Friday evening nor of the president’s subsequent call on Israel to stop bombing Gaza.
Netanyahu has yet to hold a formal cabinet discussion on Trump’s plan, and a cabinet vote hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Some background: Ben Gvir and Smotrich have repeatedly threatened to leave the coalition government if the war ends before their goals are achieved and have both expressed objections to the Trump proposal. According to one of the two Israeli officials who spoke to CNN, Ben Gvir told Netanyahu during a cabinet meeting Thursday that the plan was “full of holes, does not achieve the objectives of the war and harms Israel’s security.” Smotrich, for his part, wrote on X last week that the plan was a “resounding diplomatic failure for Israel that will end in tears,” slamming it as “a tragedy of a leadership running away from the truth.”
In photos: What life in Gaza looks like today
Israeli attacks in Gaza have led to death and destruction today, according to local officials, despite US President Donald Trump’s urging for Israel to pause its strikes in the enclave as part of his effort to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal.
Trump calls for fast implementation of Gaza ceasefire plan, warning he "will not tolerate delay"
President Donald Trump said that Israel has temporarily halted its bombing campaign in Gaza, calling it a critical step toward finalizing a peace agreement with Hamas and securing the release of hostages, and he warned Hamas to act swiftly in a post on social media.
Trump praised what he said was Israel’s decision to pause strikes, saying it gives “the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed,” and stressed the urgency of the moment, threatening Hamas to move quickly, or else “all bets will be off.”
However, CNN has reported that at least 67 people in Gaza have died today so far due to Israeli strikes, according to hospital officials in the enclave.
Yesterday, the president revealed that Hamas had responded positively to his 20-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict. Speaking in a video posted to Truth Social, Trump called it “a big day,” and described the developments as “unprecedented.”
This post has been updated with the latest death toll numbers in Gaza.
At least 67 people killed today as Israeli bombardment continues in Gaza, local officials say
Seventeen Palestinians were killed — many of them children — after a strike hit a residential home at approximately 5 p.m. local time in Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighborhood, authorities from the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital told CNN.
Video from the health care center shows the bloodied bodies of several children being rushed to the hospital, with rescue workers rushing through crowds of the injured.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
In total, 67 people were killed today in the enclave, including 45 in Gaza City alone, hospital officials said.
The strikes have continued despite US President Donald Trump’s call for Israel to halt its bombardment.
This post has been updated with the latest death toll numbers in Gaza.
Netanyahu will deliver a televised statement, according to official
In a bit under an hour, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address his nation, an Israeli official told CNN.
Netanyahu will speak at 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).
Trump's son-in-law is heading to Egypt. Here's what to know about him
As Jared Kushner heads to Egypt for negotiations on Trump’s ceasefire proposal, here’s what you should know about the president’s son-in-law and former Middle East adviser:
After leaving the White House in 2021, Kushner launched a private equity firm, Affinity Partners, which quickly received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The UAE and Qatar have also invested into large amounts into his firm.
These deals came shortly after Kushner helped lead Middle East policy during the first Trump administration, including the Abraham Accords, which normalized ties between Israel and several Arab states. Kushner has denied these investments are a conflict of interest.
Critics from across party lines and human rights organizations argue that Kushner continues to profit from relationships he built while in public office, renewing questions about whether his financial ties with Riyadh and other Gulf players could influence US policy under his father-in-law.
His firm invests heavily in Israeli companies, and Kushner praised the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property” last year, suggesting that Israel should move Palestinians “out and then clean it up” — raising further questions about his impartiality in acting as a mediator as he re-enters diplomatic circles.
