Image source, Israel Foreign Ministry

Israel says it has deported Greta Thunberg and 170 others activists detained when a flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted.

Around 470 people were aboard more than 40 civilian boats when the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israel last week.

Some members of the flotilla who have already been deported have claimed to have been mistreated while in Israeli detention.

In a post on X, the Israel's foreign ministry calls the flotilla a "PR stunt", and says all those detained have had their legal rights upheld. It accuses them of spreading "lies".

It is the second time Thunberg has been deported by Israel after unsuccessfully trying to reach Gaza by sea.

Israel says the 171 people have been deported to Greece and Slovakia and are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.

Image source, EPA

A group advocating for the return of hostages held in Gaza is calling for Donald Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his unprecedented contributions to global peace".

Hostages and Missing Families Forum has written to the Norwegian Nobel Committee saying of the president's plan to end the conflict and release the hostages: "For the first time in months, we are hopeful that our nightmare will finally be over.”

There are 48 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive. As part of Trump's plan, those hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of detained Palestinians.

“In this past year, no leader or organization has contributed more to peace around the world than President Trump,” the letter adds.

This year's Nobel Prize Peace Prize recipient will be announced on Friday.

Image source, Reuters

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it is ready to act as a humanitarian intermediary in the exchange of hostages held in Gaza and detainees in Israel.

The NGO has facilitated the release of 148 hostages and 1,931 detainees since October 2023, as well as the return of human remains.

"A lasting ceasefire is critical to saving lives and breaking the cycle of death and destruction,” the ICRC's president Mirjana Spoljaric says.

"We are also prepared to bring aid into Gaza and distribute it safely to civilians in desperate need.”

In the last 24 hours, 21 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a further 96 injured, the Hamas-run health ministry says in its latest update.

The death toll since Israel's military launched a campaign in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 has risen to 67,160, the ministry says.

Many of those killed and injured are still under rubble, and emergency services are currently unable to reach them, the ministry says.

Image source, Reuters

It's just after 14:00 in Egypt (12:00 BST), where delegations from Israel, Hamas, the US, and Qatar are preparing to hold indirect talks on US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.

Preparatory talks are already getting under way, writes our Gaza corresponded Rushdi Abualouf, but while we wait to hear more, let's get caught up on the latest:

• While Trump has urged parties to "MOVE FAST" or risk seeing more bloodshed, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News last night he believes it will "take some time" before we see any governance structure in Gaza that's not Hamas
• Within the region, Egyptian President President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said he supports Trump's plan, saying it's part of a "path to lasting peace and stability"
• Iran - one of Hamas's main sponsors - is more cautious in its support, with its foreign ministry stressing the final say should be up to Palestinians
• Meanwhile in Gaza City, Gaza's Civil Defense said 24 people have been killed in the last 24 hours, following Israeli strikes. It comes as the IDF said it had hit a "number" of targets ahead of the peace talks in Egypt

Stick with us as our teams in London and around the region will bring you all the latest news and analysis on this page.

Image source, Reuters

As we mentioned earlier, Hamas's delegation at the indirect talks will be led by Khalil al-Hayya - one of the targets of an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha, Qatar, last month.

Al-Hayya is the most senior leader of Hamas outside of Gaza, based in Qatar. He is responsible for sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

The chief negotiator is also an exiled Gaza leader.

Al-Hayya acted as deputy for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, before Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in 2024.

Though al-Hayya survived the Israeli strike in Doha, his son, Humam, was killed, as well as Jihad Labad, the director of al-Hayya's office.

• Here, you can read about when our International Editor Jeremy Bowen met al-Hayya in Qatar

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beirut

Hamas’s statement last week appeared to catch its ally Hezbollah - the Shia Islamist movement in Lebanon - off guard, much like Hamas's 7 October assault on Israel did two years earlier.

The words of Hezbollah's former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, have resurfaced online after Hamas issued a surprisingly positive response to US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war.

"Whatever decision Hamas makes, we shall adopt the same."

Nasrallah, killed in a massive Israeli air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs last year, had repeatedly insisted his group did not know Hamas was planning to attack on 7 October.

Last week in a rare interview with Iran’s state television, the commander of Iran's elite overseas Quds force, Esmail Qaani, said neither Tehran nor Hezbollah knew of Hamas’s plans but backed it once the conflict erupted.

• For context: Hezbollah began firing at Israeli positions the day after the 7 October attacks, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The longstanding conflict escalated and led to an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon - a ceasefire came into effect in November 2024.

In the past few months, high-ranking sources close to Iran have also told me that Tehran had warned Nasrallah not to open a front against Israel, fearing catastrophic losses.

The Hezbollah leader and some of its commanders, however, assumed Israel could not fight on two fronts and that they will be able to limit the fighting only to narrow part of border areas - a miscalculation that cost the group most of its senior commanders.

As Hezbollah commemorates the first anniversary of its leaders' deaths, frustration is quietly rising among some of its supporters who question the purpose of such sacrifices.

Within these circumstances, Hamas’s "unexpected praise" for Washington’s peace push has only deepened the unease within the movement.

Analysing Israeli military control of Gaza in White House peace planpublished at 11:01 BST 6 October

11:01 BST 6 October

By Merlyn Thomas and Benedict Garman

The White House published a map, external last week showing the various lines of Israeli troop withdrawal, should Donald Trump’s peace plan go ahead.

Although the map appears to be somewhat approximate - for example, Gaza's southern border with Egypt is not actually as straight as pictured - it gives us an idea of what this peace plan would mean for the Palestinian territory.

If the peace plan followed the boundaries shown on the White House map, the military’s initial withdrawal would leave Gaza about 55% occupied.

The second withdrawal would leave it about 40% occupied.

And the final phase of the withdrawal, which would create a “security buffer zone“, would leave about 15% of Gaza occupied by the Israeli military.

It also shows an IDF "current line of control", but this map doesn’t closely correspond to our analysis of areas under evacuation orders or designated militarised zones.

Image source, The White House

Below is the latest version of the IDF’s own map, showing the area which the Israeli military calls a "dangerous combat zone" which covers about 80% of Gaza.

Also shown is the part of southern Gaza it describes as a "humanitarian area".

Iran - which has been one of Hamas's main sponsors for many years - has also signalled its support for Trump's Gaza peace plan.

Tehran says it supports any initiative that "ends the killing in Gaza", a spokesperson for the foreign ministry says.

The spokesperson, however, has also raised caution, saying the plan had dangerous dimensions.

Ultimately, they add, any final decision on the plan is up to the Palestinians.

Image source, Getty Images

We can now bring you the latest from Egypt, which is the host country for today's much-anticipated peace talks.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended his "praise and appreciation for US President Donald Trump", ahead of this week's talks in Sharm El-Sheikh.

"A ceasefire, the return of prisoners and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza and the launch of a peaceful political process that leads to the establishment and recognition of the Palestinian state means we are on the right path to lasting peace and stability," he adds.

Egypt and Qatar have both been key meditators between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

There is great hope for Gaza peace talks - but many challenges lie aheadpublished at 10:03 BST 6 October

10:03 BST 6 October

Rushdi Abualouf
BBC News Gaza correspondent, reporting from Istanbul

This is the largest delegation since the war.

It involves a high-level Hamas delegation, including most of its leadership outside Gaza.

Also in Cairo will be the Qatari prime minister, along with an Egyptian intelligence minister to work out the technical details of this peace proposal.

It’s an opportunity to hear about Hamas's concerns, but also their demands.

Returning hostages to Israel entails heavy technical and logistical issues. They need to be able to locate these hostages and bodies.

I spoke to a Hamas official a few days ago about the last hostage exchange, and how it showed their militancy through a public display.

• For context: During many of the previous rounds of hostage handovers, Israeli hostages were led onto stage beside armed Hamas fighters before being transferred to the Red Cross - the Israeli PM condemned these ceremonies as "humiliating"

He said Hamas, this time around, will undergo a secret exchange involving the International Red Cross. It's too early to say whether this will be happening.

While there is a great hope for a permanent ceasefire, there a lot of challenges to get there.

Image source, Reuters

Monday 29 September:

• Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, with his peace plan on the agenda
• The 20-point plan is officially outlined - Netanyahu says he supports it

Tuesday 30 September:

• Trump says that Hamas has "three to four days" to respond to his plan
• Netanyahu says Israel will "forcibly resist" Palestinian statehood

Friday 3 October:

• Hamas says it agrees to release Israeli hostages, but wants further negotiation on other parts of the plan

Saturday 4 October:

• Hamas must move quickly, “or else all bets will be off", Trump warns
• Israel agrees to initial troop withdrawal plans, which sees them remain in Gaza but moving towards its fringes, Trump says
• Netanyahu says Hamas will be disarmed, “either the easy way, or the hard way”

Sunday 5 October:

• Trump calls for "everyone to MOVE FAST", adding "I am told that the first phase should be completed this week"

Image source, AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a television address over the weekend, announcing that Israel was “on the verge of a very great achievement”.

Netanyahu said the peace plan was being worked on “vigorously” and he had instructed negotiators to travel to Egypt for talks, which he hoped would lead to him being able to announce the release of the remaining hostages “in the coming days”.

He hailed the ceasefire plan as showing that diplomatic and military pressure has pushed Hamas into freeing the hostages that it holds in Gaza.

The Israeli PM also reiterated his demand that Hamas would be disarmed “either by diplomatic means according to the Trump plan, or militarily by us”.

As a reminder: Hamas has so far not publicly signalled that it would disarm if the peace agreement is reached.

Earlier, we brought you the details about Israel's military carrying out strikes on Gaza.

We can now bring you pictures of some of those strikes, which have been taking place in Gaza City.

As a reminder, Gaza's Civil Defense said 24 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in its most recent update that it had hit a "number" of targets in Gaza City.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting this morning, there are several key elements to Trump's Gaza peace plan - but here's a look at what Hamas has so far agreed to:

What it has agreed to:

• Freeing all remaining hostages - alive and dead - in Gaza
• Handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats

What it hasn't directly responded to:

• Disarmament - laying down its arms - a key part of the plan Israel insists on
• Playing no future role in Gaza's governance

Hamas's statement on Friday said that the part of the proposals dealing with the future of Gaza and the rights of Palestinian people was still being discussed "within a national framework", of which it said Hamas will be a part.

Image source, Reuters

With indirect peace talks starting up again today, the Israeli military has continued to share updates on its military activity in Gaza.

In a post in the last few hours, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a "number" of targets in Gaza City were hit yesterday. Earlier, our correspondent outlined where some of those strikes hit, and provided an update from Gaza's Civil Defense Agency, which said 24 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours.

According to the Israeli military's post, the targets included a squad armed with explosives.

As a reminder, Gaza City has been the focus of an expanded Israeli operation that was announced by the prime minister over the summer.

Image source, EPA

As we just mentioned, delegations from Israel, Hamas and the US are soon going to be holding indirect talks on Trump's peace plan, which aims to end the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war.

What are the key elements of the plan?

• The disarmament of Hamas
• The release of all living and dead Israeli hostages
• And the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza

What happens if the plan is agreed to?

• Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages - alive and deceased - will be returned, the plan states
• Trump has said in the plan that Palestinians can remain in Gaza if they wish, and the region will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people
• It’s a departure from previous statements, where he said he would remove all of Gaza’s inhabitants and demolish the area

And what would that look like in Gaza?

• Released alongside the plan is a map showing the various lines of Israeli troop withdrawal, should Donald Trump’s peace plan go ahead

We have compiled all 20 points to the plan in this article

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Istanbul

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks tells the BBC that preparatory meetings will take place at 10:00 in Cairo (08:00 BST) between representatives of Hamas, Qatar, and Egypt, ahead of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

The discussions will focus on the terms of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan and the mechanisms for its implementation, the official said.

Huge momentum for progress - but no guarantees for peacepublished at 07:33 BST 6 October

07:33 BST 6 October

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

The main difference in these negotiations over Gaza is the personal involvement of President Trump, who has put a lot of pressure for a deal to be done – and fast.

He wants to be remembered as the person who brought the war to an end – and, in the process, be rewarded for it, as he is eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced on Friday.

There is pressure not only on Hamas but also on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of sabotaging negotiations in the past. There have been some indications of President Trump’s irritation with the Israeli leader, but it is still not clear if the Trump effect will be enough for these efforts to succeed.

The talks today will focus on the first phase of the 20-point plan announced by the president: the release of the remaining hostages, both living and dead, in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza.

The most difficult elements will be discussed later, points that proved to be major obstacles in previous talks. They include Israel’s demand for Hamas to disarm and a guarantee wanted by the group that the war will not resume after the hostages are freed. Earlier this year, Israel collapsed a ceasefire deal by resuming fighting.

In Israel, polls have consistently suggested that most Israelis want a deal with Hamas. This is a county exhausted after two years of war, and many Israelis are aware of how damaging this has been to their country’s image and its growing international isolation. And in Gaza, where Israel’s bombing has continued, Palestinians have expressed hope that the talks could finally lead to the end of their suffering.

There is huge momentum for progress, but this is no guarantee that a deal will be reached.

Image source, Reuters

With indirect talks between Hamas and Israel due to begin in Egypt soon, let's look at who will be in Sharm el-Shiekh. The US will be represented by:

• Special envoy Steve Witkoff
• Trump’s son-in-law and former presidential adviser Jared Kushner

For Qatar, another key mediator, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will be there.

Benjamin Netanyahu's office posted last night to say the Israeli delegation will be headed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

And Hamas's delegation will be led by Khalil al-Hayya - one of the targets of an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha, Qatar, at the start of last month.

The attack in Qatar's capital killed five Hamas members, plus a member of Qatar's security forces. But Hamas said its senior team survived the Israeli air strike.

Image source, Reuters