Gaza ceasefire holds as casualties continue to rise

Siften AI·October 14, 2026·6 min read

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Gaza ceasefire holds on paper as casualties keep mounting

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Things to know

Ceasefire implementation

The phase after a ceasefire is announced, when parties are expected to carry out steps such as withdrawals, prisoner or remains transfers, aid access and security arrangements.

Hamas disarmament

A proposed process under which Hamas fighters would surrender or place weapons beyond their control, a core Israeli and U.S. demand and a major sticking point in talks.

Board of Peace

A reported international mechanism linked to the U.S.-backed Gaza plan that is expected to help oversee transition steps, including possible weapons handover arrangements.

Knesset threshold

Israeli parties must win at least 3.25% of the national vote to enter parliament, making small parties important in coalition formation.

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Disarmament remains the hinge

The next phase of the ceasefire depends heavily on Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and a mechanism for governing and rebuilding Gaza. Al Jazeera reported that talks on a second phase, including Israeli force withdrawal and Hamas disarmament, have stalled.²

MENA Today reported that Hamas called on mediators to push ahead with ceasefire steps including border reopening, aid, reconstruction, administration and completion of Israel’s withdrawal. The report noted that unresolved issues include militant disarmament and Gaza’s future governance.⁸

The disarmament track is where diplomatic design meets ground-level distrust. The Jerusalem Post reported that U.S. officials and representatives of a Board of Peace were preparing a field survey in Gaza to identify suitable locations where Hamas members could surrender weapons under President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.⁴

The same report cited Israeli security officials who saw a large gap between U.S. aspirations for reconstruction in exchange for disarmament and Hamas’s conduct on the ground.⁴

That sequencing problem is familiar: Hamas wants withdrawal, reconstruction and guarantees; Israel wants verifiable disarmament and security control; mediators want a pathway that can keep the ceasefire from unraveling.

The more casualties accumulate, the harder it becomes to present disarmament as part of a political transition rather than surrender under fire. At the same time, each Israeli strike justified as counterterrorism reinforces Israel’s argument that Hamas remains armed and operational.