Summary

  • Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are in Israel, as the US president says the ceasefire in Gaza is still in place

  • It comes after Israel's military said it carried out a wave of strikes against Hamas on Sunday, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the deal

  • Key questions which remain unresolved from President Trump's peace plan are all about the future of Gaza and the future of Hamas, writes our Middle East correspondent

  • Israel says it's reopening two aid crossings into Gaza, but the volume of aid getting in is still "way below what is needed", an official from the UN's Palestinian refugee agency tells the BBC

  • Sam Rose says while it's a "relief" the crossings are reopening, "bureaucratic constraints" are holding up deliveries

  • Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely

  1. Gaza death toll rises to 44 today, hospital sources saypublished at 19:49 BST 19 October
    Breaking

    The death toll across Gaza today has risen to 44, sources at hospitals in the territory have told BBC News.

    More than half of the deaths were reported at al-Awda hospital in the north of Gaza.

  2. IDF says 'renewed enforcement' of ceasefire has begun after Gaza strikespublished at 19:30 BST 19 October
    Breaking

    The Israeli military says it has "begun renewed enforcement" of the ceasefire, hours after carrying out strikes on Gaza.

    The statement continues: "The IDF will continue to enforce the ceasefire agreement and will respond forcefully to any violation of the agreement."

    Its latest statement again accuses Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal.

    We'll have more on this latest development shortly.

  3. Air strikes shatter a fragile sense of calm in Gazapublished at 18:59 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    moke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2025.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The Khan Younis skyline following Israeli air strikes

    In southern Gaza, residents have reported at least 12 air strikes in eastern Khan Younis - part of what people described as a “fire belt”.

    The attacks sent plumes of smoke rising above the city and caused panic among displaced families sheltering in nearby areas.

    The latest escalation came just hours after Israeli war planes struck several sites in Rafah, following clashes between Hamas gunmen and a pro-Israeli militia operating behind the so-called “yellow line” - an area under Israeli military control.

    Residents reported intense air raids and artillery shelling near the European Hospital, though there were no confirmed casualties at the time.

    Hamas has sought to distance itself from the Rafah incident, saying the fighters involved had lost contact with the movement long ago.

    In a statement, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, condemned the renewed Israeli attacks, calling them “a blatant violation of the ceasefire and an attempt to provoke the resistance and derail the mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar”.

    He said Hamas remained committed to the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, but warned that continued Israeli strikes could “push the situation toward a total collapse”.

    The air strikes have shattered a fragile sense of calm in Gaza, where residents had only just begun to feel a brief respite after nearly two years of war.

    The return of bombardment has reignited fear and anxiety among Gazans, with prices of basic goods rising again and many families staying indoors, fearing a full return to fighting.

  4. Thirteen killed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza, local sources saypublished at 18:47 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    A general view of the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential compound housing employees of the Palestine Media Production Company, according to the civil defense, in Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip, October 19, 2025Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The aftermath of an Israeli air strike in al-Zawaida

    At least 13 Palestinians were killed in a new wave of Israeli air strikes across central Gaza, including Yahya al-Mabhouh, the commander of Hamas’s elite unit in the Jabalia Battalion, according to medical and local sources.

    A doctor at al-Aqsa Hospital said nine bodies and several wounded were brought in after three separate strikes that hit a small seaside cafe set up inside a tent on the beachfront of al-Zawaida, a quiet coastal town between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and a building in Nusirat refugee camp.

    Eyewitnesses told the BBC that huge fireballs and thick columns of smoke rose into the night sky, lighting up the coast.

    The sound of powerful secondary explosions echoed across the area as ambulances and rescue crews raced to the scene.

    Most of those killed in the al-Zawaida strike were members of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, reportedly meeting inside the tent when it was hit.

    Among them was al-Mabhouh, a senior field commander in Hamas’s elite forces, whose death marks one of the group’s most significant losses since the ceasefire began.

  5. Footage shows plumes of smoke rising above Khan Younispublished at 18:31 BST 19 October

    Media caption,

    Watch: Plumes of smoke seen over Khan Younis

    New footage shared and authenticated by the Reuters news agency shows large plumes of smoke over the city of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

    As we've been reporting, in recent hours lsrael has been conducting "a wave of strikes" in Gaza.

  6. Hamas delegation arrives in Egyptian capital for ceasefire talkspublished at 18:19 BST 19 October

    Hamas says its delegation has arrived in Egypt's capital Cairo to follow-up on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement with mediators and Palestinian groups.

    Chief Hamas negotiator Dr Khalil al-Hayya will lead the delegation, Hamas posted on the messaging app Telegram.

    Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a declaration for bringing peace to Gaza at a summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el- Sheikh.

    A ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday 10 October after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. However, as we've been reporting, the ceasefire plans now appear to be in serious jeopardy.

  7. 'It's increasingly difficult to call this a ceasefire any longer' - BBC's Frank Gardnerpublished at 18:05 BST 19 October

    The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner, reporting from Jerusalem, analyses the current state of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the prospects for both sides in the coming days.

    "This is deeply worrying for those people who thought that this war was over," he says in this short video:

    Media caption,

    Watch: The BBC's Frank Gardner reports from Jerusalem

  8. Dozens of Hamas targets struck in Gaza, Israel's military sayspublished at 17:54 BST 19 October

    The Israeli military has just put out another update on strikes in the Gaza Strip. The statement says that the Israel Defense Forces has struck "dozens of Hamas terror targets" and reiterates its accusation that Hamas has "blatantly violated the ceasefire agreement".

    Here is the statement in full:

    Over the past few hours, in response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today (Sunday), the IDF struck dozens of Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip.

    The targets struck included, weapons storage facilities, infrastructure used for terrorist activity, firing posts, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites.

    The IDF also struck and dismantled six kilometers of underground terrorist infrastructure, using over 120 munitions. The underground site was used by the terrorist organization to advance attacks against the State of Israel.

    The Hamas terrorist organization blatantly violated the ceasefire agreement this morning.

    The IDF will continue to respond firmly and will operate to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel.

    As a reminder, Hamas says it's "unaware" of any clashes in Rafah that Israel has accused it of and adds that it "remains committed to the ceasefire agreement". Hamas accuses Israel of "violating the deal and fabricating pretexts to justify its crimes".

  9. Analysis

    Ceasefire at risk, less than a week after it was agreedpublished at 17:36 BST 19 October

    Nomia Iqbal
    North America correspondent

    US President Donald Trump, standing at podium, delivering a speech at a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
    Image caption,

    President Trump pictured delivering a speech at a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

    It's not even been a week and that delicate ceasefire President Trump had triumphed in is by all accounts seriously damaged. Both the Israeli government and Hamas are blaming each other.

    The Israeli Air Force is carrying out strikes against areas of the Southern Gaza Strip with the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for a resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip at “full strength”.

    It was only two days ago when we heard from two of President Trump's key negotiators in brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told our partner station CBS that Israeli air strikes on Qatar during peace talks last month was a key motivation for President Trump in stopping the war.

    Qatar were the negotiators' link to Hamas. They said "he had felt the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control in what they were doing."

    We'll bring you reaction from the US administration when we get it.

  10. Image shows Israeli strikes on Khan Younispublished at 17:18 BST 19 October

    A picture that appears to show strikes east of Khan YounisImage source, Shehab News agency

    We've just seen an image showing plumes of smoke over eastern Khan Younis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.

    The image is taken from footage shared on social media by a Palestinian journalist, which has been verified by the BBC.

    This follows the Israeli military's announcement that it had begun a "wave of strikes" in southern Gaza.

  11. Israel says it will suspend delivery of aid into Gazapublished at 17:09 BST 19 October
    Breaking

    Israel will suspend the delivery of aid into Gaza until further notice, a security official says.

    "In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip has been halted until further notice, following Hamas’s blatant violation of the agreement," the official says.

    It comes as the Israeli army accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement - an allegation the militant group denies.

    Since the deal came into effect on 10 October, hundreds of lorries carrying aid had been allowed to enter Gaza each day.

    A famine was confirmed in the territory by UN-backed experts in August because of a previous blockade on aid deliveries.

  12. Israeli air strike kills Hamas commander and five others - local sourcespublished at 16:43 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    An Israeli air strike on the town of al-Zawaida in central Gaza has killed six members of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, including Yahya al-Mabhouh, the commander of the elite unit in the Jabalia Battalion, according to local sources.

    The strike targeted a small seaside cafe set up inside a tent along the town’s beachfront.

    Al-Zawaida lies between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.

    The six fighters, originally from northern Gaza, were reportedly operating in the central area at the time.

    The death of al-Mabhouh, a senior field commander, marks one of the most significant losses for Hamas’s elite forces since the ceasefire began.

  13. IDF says it has started 'wave of strikes' in southern Gazapublished at 16:09 BST 19 October
    Breaking

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has "now begun a wave of strikes" in the southern Gaza Strip, it says in a statement.

    These are against "terror targets" of Hamas, it says, "following a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today".

    As a reminder, Hamas has said it is not in contact with any fighters that may remain near Rafah, where the IDF alleges clashes occurred.

  14. Analysis

    Fear and tension return after Israeli strikes end fragile calmpublished at 16:00 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    Various people walking along in Gaza, mainly away from the camera, with huge piles of debris in the background.Image source, Getty Images

    Many Gazans say they never imagined Israeli air strikes would return so quickly.

    The brief sense of relief that followed the ceasefire has swiftly turned into fear and uncertainty.

    Residents have begun heading to their tents and homes, while prices of basic goods have already started to rise in several areas, reflecting growing anxiety and disappointment over how fast the situation has deteriorated.

    Hamas has sought to distance itself from the Rafah incident, claiming that the fighters who attacked Israeli-backed militias there had lost contact with the movement long ago.

    The group insists it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, but developments on the ground suggest the situation is escalating rapidly and could push the truce to the brink of collapse.

  15. Israel might carry out more strikes in Gaza, Israeli military official sayspublished at 15:55 BST 19 October

    Israel might carry out further strikes in Gaza in response to what it describes as "violations" of the ceasefire agreement by the group, an Israeli military official says.

    The Israeli official says that this follows "multiple attacks against the IDF today", with "at least three" incidents today of Hamas firing at Israeli troops standing behind the so-called "yellow line" of Israeli military withdrawal.

    Hamas has said today it affirms "full commitment" to a "ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip". The group also says that it is "unaware" of clashes taking place in the Rafah area and says it has no connection to events there.

    As we've been reporting, Hamas has also accused Israel of "violating the deal and fabricating pretexts to justify its crimes"

  16. Three Palestinians killed by Israeli air strike on Nuseirat, doctor sayspublished at 15:25 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    A doctor at al-Aqsa Hospital says that three people have been killed by an Israeli air strike in Nuseirat, in central Gaza.

    The report has also been confirmed by Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence.

    This follows a separate strike on the town of al-Zawaida, also in central Gaza, earlier today, which according to the doctor killed six Palestinians and injured seven others.

  17. Analysis

    Many Palestinians fear the possibility of civil conflict eruptingpublished at 14:57 BST 19 October

    Tom Bateman
    US State Department correspondent

    Hamas armed police in Gaza City 11 OctImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Hamas security forces on the streets of Gaza City last weekend

    Many Palestinians fear the possibility of the eruption of civil conflict between Hamas and rival clans they suspect Israel has been arming and backing.

    The issue is a sign of weaknesses in the Sharm el-Sheikh truce deal, which did not extend to any agreement over a proposed international stabilisation force nor the proposed demilitarisation of Gaza.

    Hamas, attempting to shore up its weakened rule, rejects claims of breaching the ceasefire agreement, instead accusing Israel of multiple breaches.

    The Israeli far right in Netanyahu’s coalition is using the moment to call for a full resumption of the war.

    On Thursday Trump, now appearing to have switched from his posture at the start of the week, posted: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”

    Then late on Saturday night came the US State Department’s warning of a “planned attack against Palestinian civilians” by Hamas that it said would be a grave breach of the ceasefire agreement.

  18. Analysis

    How the Trump administration has responded to armed activity by Hamaspublished at 14:36 BST 19 October

    Tom Bateman
    US State Department correspondent

    A number of armed Hamas militants arrive in an area before releasing Israeli hostage Agam Berger to a Red Cross team in Jabalia, Gaza on 30 January 2025, as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange. The fighters wear black sunglasses, black balaclavas, green headbands and keffiyeh scarves. Most of them carry guns and three are also waving Palestinian flags.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since 2007

    Over the last week, the Trump administration’s position has shifted regarding what it would tolerate in relation to armed activity by Hamas.

    Onboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump responded to questions from the BBC and other reporters about progress with the ceasefire and the appearance of Hamas-armed internal security forces in Gaza.

    He said he had seen pictures of this, adding the US had given “approval for a period of time” in order to stop “big crime” and other “problems”.

    The following day he claimed Hamas had “said they were going to disarm”, adding that “initially… they did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad; very, very bad gangs… And that didn't bother me much, to be honest with you. That's OK.”

    It’s not clear which incidents Trump was referring to. Violent clashes had erupted between Hamas and rival Palestinian armed groups, including some it accused of collaborating with Israel.

    In one video, gunmen wearing Hamas headbands were filmed carrying out a public execution of several bound and blindfolded men.

    By Wednesday the administration began addressing the issue more clearly, urging Hamas to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians” both in Hamas-held areas and, it said, behind the “yellow line” of IDF withdrawal.

    A senior US official said the administration was working with Israel to create “space” in the IDF-held area, calling this a “safe zone” for “people who feel a threat”.

    The gesture and other comments by the official appeared to conflate the idea of ordinary Palestinian civilians seeking refuge from Hamas with the possibility of the IDF-controlled areas providing a protected zone for the armed rivals of Hamas.

  19. Six Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on al-Zawaida, doctor sayspublished at 13:54 BST 19 October

    Rushdi Abualouf
    Gaza correspondent

    A doctor at al-Aqsa Hospital says six Palestinians were killed, and seven others injured, in an Israeli air strike on the town of al-Zawaida in central Gaza.

    Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the strike hit the entrance of a makeshift seaside cafe set up inside a tent along the town’s beachfront.

    Explosions were also heard across parts of central and southern Gaza.

  20. Here's the latest on Israeli strikes in Rafahpublished at 13:41 BST 19 October

    A Palestinian boy carries a box of supplies provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) amongst rubbledImage source, Getty Images

    If you're just joining us, the Israeli military says it has carried out strikes in southern Gaza, after an alleged attack by Hamas on its troops in Rafah. Here's the latest:

    The IDF says its troops were dismantling "terrorist infrastructure" in the Rafah area, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, when they were fired upon.

    Israel's military calls it a "blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement", adding that it will "respond firmly".

    There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

    In response, Hamas says it's "unaware" of any clashes in Rafah and that it "remains committed to the ceasefire agreement". It accuses Israel of "violating the deal and fabricating pretexts to justify its crimes".

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his defence and security officials to "act forcefully against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip".

    It comes as the Hamas-run Ministry of Health says eight people have been killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours as a direct result of Israeli targeting.

    The ministry says the bodies of 15 more Palestinians were handed over by Israel via the Red Cross to officials in Gaza earlier, bringing the total number of bodies it has received to 150.

    During the first phase of the ceasefire, all living Israeli hostages have been released as well as 12 out of 28 of those deceased.