On the second anniversary of the October 7th operation, Israeli forces pounded areas across Gaza with heavy airstrikes and artillery fire from tanks, boats, and jets . The persistent attacks on communities in Khan Younis and Gaza City offered Palestinians no respite and underscored the severe challenges facing negotiators who began indirect talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the day before . These negotiations, focused on sensitive issues such as a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the future of Palestinian resistance, are widely seen as the most promising effort to date to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the coastal enclave in ruins .
The human cost of the war is staggering, with over 67,000 Palestinians killed, the vast majority being women and children, and more than 169,000 injured according to health authorities in Gaza . The impact of Israel’s offensive has been devastating, damaging or destroying most buildings in the territory and forcibly displacing 95% of the population . The UN children's agency, UNICEF, reports that the situation for civilians, especially children, is increasingly dire, with hospitals overwhelmed and premature babies forced to share oxygen sources due to a lack of basic medical equipment . A UNICEF spokesperson described the logic imposed on Gazans as "brutal," noting that designated "safe zones" in the south are also places of death, overcrowded and stripped of the essentials for survival .
The talks in Egypt, which began on Monday, are centered on a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump . While Hamas has responded positively to the plan's principles, which also include the release of hostages and a surge of aid into Gaza, major obstacles remain . A statement from an umbrella of Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, marked the anniversary by vowing that "the choice of resistance by all means is the sole and only way to confront the Zionist enemy" and asserting that no one has the right to cede the Palestinian people's weapons . This stance highlights the complexity of the disarmament issue on the negotiating table.
Despite the assassination of top Hamas leaders and clashes with other Resistance groups, Israel finds itself increasingly isolated on the world stage . The immense death toll and destruction in Gaza have galvanized pro-Palestinian protests worldwide and led some Western leaders to recognize Palestinian statehood . President Trump, seeking a major foreign policy triumph, has invested significant political capital in the talks, with the US delegation including special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner . However, even if a ceasefire is agreed upon, critical questions about who will govern and rebuild Gaza remain unanswered, ensuring that the path to a lasting peace remains fraught with difficulty.