Tracing bids to end Gaza conflict

Since the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza, at least half a dozen major ceasefire and peace proposals have been tabled by international mediators.

The first of these came in November 2023, when Qatar, with the support of the US and Egypt, brokered a four-day pause in fighting. The pause was extended briefly before hostilities resumed.

Through early 2024, mediators in Doha and Cairo pushed “everyone for everyone” swap proposals. However, Israel and Hamas could not reach a truce.

A more ambitious framework emerged in May 2024, when Egypt and Qatar unveiled a three-stage plan, with US backing. The draft envisaged an initial 42-day truce, phased hostage releases, Israeli withdrawals and eventually a “sustainable calm” leading to reconstruction. Hamas publicly accepted the plan, but Israel deemed it inadequate, and negotiations dragged on.

The UNSC threw its weight behind the proposal in June 2024, endorsing the call for a phased ceasefire and humanitarian access. Yet divisions within Israel’s Cabinet and continued Hamas rocket fire prevented implementation.

In a rare moment of progress, mediators struck a fresh accord in January 2025, paving way for staged hostage-prisoner exchanges and a temporary cessation of hostilities. The deal, signed on January 15 and enforced days later, saw several exchanges completed, but fighting resumed within weeks, derailing hopes of a lasting truce.

The latest flurry of diplomacy came this week. On September 29, 2025, Washington unveiled a new peace proposal that sought an immediate cessation of hostilities, full return of hostages, and a pathway to Gaza’s reconstruction under international oversight.