Image source, Reuters

The dramatic pace of developments over the last 24 hours has left many in the Middle East struggling to grasp what comes next.

Here are some of the main updates today:

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu - has said he hopes to announce the release of hostages being held in Gaza "in the coming days".

He also said during a televised statement that "Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised – either the easy way or the hard way, but it will be achieved."

Hamas - on Saturday said Israel is continuing to commit "massacres" after strikes hit Gaza, and urged global pressure on Israel.

The comments came after the group released a statement on Friday in which it agreed to free the hostages under a US peace plan, but did not mention disarmament and sought negotiations on other issues.

US President Trump - said he would "not tolerate delay" from Hamas to complete a deal.

He warned Hamas to "move quickly, or else all bets will be off." Later on Saturday the president posted that Israel had "agreed to the initial withdrawal line", as outlined by a map issued by the White House.

Indirect ceasefire talks - are now set to start between the parties in Egypt on Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Mixed reactions - "People are full of hope" says Mahmoud, who is in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza. It's a feeling echoed by the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, though she says she's in "fear that something will go wrong".

Israeli air strikes - This morning saw three separate Israeli air strikes hit residential sites across Gaza City. And a statement put out by Hamas later today says that the territory saw "brutal raids" this morning.

We're pausing our live page now, but you can read more updates and analysis with our stories here:

• Netanyahu says he hopes to announce hostage release in the 'coming days'
• Hamas says it agrees to release Israeli hostages but seeks changes to US Gaza peace plan
• Shock in Gaza as Trump appears to welcome Hamas response to US peace plan

After two years of conflict in Gaza there is deep distrust over a peace dealpublished at 22:41 BST 4 October

22:41 BST 4 October

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Muhammad Saadat was selling falafels this morning outside a camp for displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

Forced to flee his home in Beit Hanoun, in the north, he wasn’t convinced that President Trump’s efforts would lead to the end of the war.

“This is empty and false news,” he says.

“The Israeli hostages will go back home. The deal will then collapse, and the war will return as before.”

After two years of a conflict that has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands displaced, there is deep distrust in Gaza.

But there is also hope that this time, finally, the suffering could be about to end.

Amjad Abdel Nabi was displaced from Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

"Inshallah, the news will be positive and will lead to a ceasefire because the people are very tired and some have been displaced 10 times, others 20 times.”

Image source, Getty Images

The partial acceptance by Hamas of President Trump’s plan means the resumption of negotiations for a deal. But key sticking points remain.

In Israel, there’s cautious optimism too - that the remaining hostages, both living and dead, could return home.

Ifat Kalderon is the cousin of a former captive, Ofer, who was released in February.

"I want to call on Netanyahu because he's my prime minister, and also the prime minister of the hostages that are still in Gaza - you had to do it so long time ago. Now is the time."

"You've got to sign this agreement and we've got to release all the hostages, and we have to finish this bloody war.”

But amid efforts for peace, the sounds of war. Israeli air strikes continued in Gaza, despite President Trump’s call for the bombing to stop immediately.

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

Image source, Getty Images

US news outlet Axios is reporting comments from Donald Trump that "we are close" to a Gaza peace deal.

Trump will push to finalise the deal in the coming days, says the report.

According to Axios, Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that this is his "chance for victory" and "he's got to be fine with" the peace plan.

It quotes the US president directly: "He [Netanyahu] has no choice. With me, you got to be fine".

We've just seen a statement from Hamas on the Telegram messaging app.

Hamas says Israel is committing "horrific crimes and massacres" against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

"Brutal raids since early morning have resulted in the killing of 70 people, including women and children," the group says.

The "ongoing bloody escalation exposes the lies" of the Netanyahu government about "scaling down military operations against defenceless civilians", Hamas says.

The statement urges the international community to "act urgently to protect and provide relief" to the Palestinian people.

Hamas ends with a global call to intensify solidarity with the Palestinian people and "pressure the occupation to stop its aggression" in the territory.

For context: The BBC has been unable to verify the claims shared by Hamas about the number of people killed in these incidents the group has referred to. International journalists have been banned by Israel from entering the Gaza Strip independently since the start of the war nearly two years ago, making verifying claims from both sides difficult.

Paloma Prieto Del Valle
Reporting from Jerusalem

Speaking to me from Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza, Mahmoud Rostom says he can still hear bombs between his city and al-Mawasi, which is near the coast.

On the news that Hamas has agreed to continue negotiating the US peace deal, he says that “people here are feeling optimistic, they are full of hope that this war will end after the reply from Hamas”.

Mahmoud adds that the prices at the markets, which skyrocketed during the war, “went low” because “people here are preparing themselves to what to do after the ceasefire”.

How Netanyahu attempted to retake the initiative this eveningpublished at 21:32 BST 4 October

21:32 BST 4 October

Jo Floto
Middle East bureau chief in Jerusalem

The last 24 hours has appeared, at least from the outside, to be a day where Israel has been bounced into a negotiation by a US President running out of patience with the war in Gaza and keen to move on to a wider Middle East deal (and perhaps a Nobel Peace prize).

Hamas, it appeared, had managed to secure a place at the table without accepting even half of Trump’s 20-point peace plan or accepting Israel’s red lines.

So, as the Israeli Prime Minister ended his official silence imposed by the Jewish Sabbath, he struck a triumphant, supremely confident tone that may colour the negotiations set to begin in Egypt on Monday.

He and Donald Trump, he said, had co-ordinated fully and had isolated Hamas politically.

Image source, Reuters

Thanks to his own decision to continue the war for so long, he told the people of Israel this evening, Hamas had agreed to release all of the remaining Israeli hostages, without the Israeli military having to leave positions deep inside Gaza.

He said he hoped to announce the release within days.

The Trump peace plan, however, says that Israeli troops will begin withdrawing at the start of the ceasefire, although how far and how fast is left undetermined.

But Netanyahu also threatened to restart the war if Hamas failed to disarm in the next phase of negotiations.

Either stick to the Trump plan, or the disarmament will be done by the Israel Defence Forces, he warned.

That threat will now hang in the air as negotiations get underway – will Netanyahu restart the war once the hostages are out?

US President Donald Trump has just posted on his Truth Social platform that Israel "has agreed to the initial withdrawal line".

This seems to be referring to the various lines of Israeli troop withdrawal on a map published alongside the US-proposed 20-point peace plan - you can see copy of the map in our earlier post.

He goes on to say that when Hamas confirms, a ceasefire will "be IMMEDIATELY effective".

"The Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," he writes.

If the peace plan follows the boundaries shown on the published White House map, the military’s initial withdrawal would leave Gaza about 55% occupied, our BBC Verify colleagues estimate.

We are yet to hear from Israel on the the initial withdrawal line.

As a reminder, negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas are preparing to head off to Egypt for indirect talks.

Egypt will host indirect talks between Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday, aimed at furthering the peace plan, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry says.

The negotiating teams will discuss the exchange of the Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, it adds.

The hope is to end the war through the meeting, building on the momentum achieved through US President Donald Trump's plan, the ministry statement adds.

CBS, the BBC's US news partner, reports that US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, will join them in Egypt.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog notes that it will soon be two years since the Hamas 7 October attack, and says the people of Israel are united in the hope for peace, security and the release of the hostages.

In a post on X, he thanks US President Donald Trump "for his leadership and moral clarity in bringing forward a concrete plan that offers real hope for change".

He adds that he expresses his "full backing" to Netanyahu "in taking the necessary decisions to implement the plan and bring back all our hostages".

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement was aired, here in Tel Aviv crowds gathered around Hostages Square listened intently as former hostages called for an end to the war.

Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted from the Nova festival in Israel, led chants of "bring them home".

He appealed directly to the US president to make sure his deal was enforced.

Omer Shem Tov says to cheers from the crowd:

We can now bring you a few more lines from Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister says that it was diplomatic and military pressure that pushed Hamas into freeing the hostages it holds in Gaza.

Netanyahu goes on to say that the group will be disarmed.

"In the second stage, Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised – either the easy way or the hard way, but it will be achieved," he says.

The Israeli prime minister has said he hopes that all the hostages being held in Gaza will be brought back "in coming days".

He thanks his "dear friend President Trump" for supporting Israel militarily.

Netanyahu says he has told Israel's negotiating team to go to Egypt to finalise the technical details of the hostages' release.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting his statement now.

He's speaking in Hebrew and we'll bring you the top lines once we can.

Image source, PA Media

As we wait to hear from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's President Isaac Herzog has posted on the social media platform X calling for the prime minister to "swiftly advance the plan presented by US President Donald Trump".

Herzog continues by saying:

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Crowds here in Hostages Square have broken into chants of "you're not alone, we're with you" as families of the hostages take to the stage to call for their return.

"Netanyahu, don't take our oxygen and our hope," Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held captive in Gaza, screamed into the microphone.

"To you they’re just hostages, but to me that’s my boy. He's my life. The hostages are the beating heart of the country."

Liran Berman demanded the return of his brothers Gali and Ziv.

"With hope comes fear - will the deal be signed? Will I ever see my brothers again?" he said.

"We cannot let another deal collapse. Not again… it is now or never."

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Large crowds have gathered in Tel Aviv tonight for a rally calling for the release of the hostages.

People are spilling out of Hostages Square, many holding Israeli flags and photos of the hostages held in Gaza.

Some are also carrying messages to the US president.

"We love Trump," says one sign.

"Trump save us - end the war now," says another.

Chants have broken out of "why are they still in Gaza? Bring everyone home now", and "until everyone comes back, we are all hostage".

We're still waiting to hear Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu deliver a statement, but that appears to have been delayed.

Trump's statement last night was a remarkable momentpublished at 18:15 BST 4 October

18:15 BST 4 October

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump's statement last night that Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza so the hostages could be released safely and quickly amounted to a remarkable moment in this nearly two-year long war.

A US president effectively commanding the actions of its key regional ally.

It has happened amid signs Trump had become increasingly irritated with the Israeli leadership over recent weeks, triggered by Israel's military strike targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha, which infuriated the Arab world and ultimately saw Trump sign an unprecedented US security guarantee for Qatar.

As the Arab countries have won Trump closer towards their positions, they appear in return to have applied deepening pressure on Hamas; and last night's carefully-crafted statement from the group said enough for the White House to frame its response as acceptance of Trump's peace plan.

What motivates him most is the moment he can say he got all the hostages released and an end to the war.

The complex details for post-war arrangements concern him less, but for the two sides they are critical.

Image source, Reuters

So many traps still lie ahead.

Hamas, giving up nearly all its bargaining power with a mass release of the hostages in one go, will be deeply suspicious that Israel could simply restart the war on a pretext, and will seek a cast-iron guarantee from Trump via Qatar that this can't happen.

Israel, on the other hand, will fear the scaling back of offensive and troop withdrawals could be exploited and give ground to Hamas. It will want assurances over the parts of Trump's plan meant to guarantee the group's disarmament and possible exile.

The Israeli coalition's far-right members, as with Hamas' hard-line commanders inside Gaza, will be those arguing hardest that they are being asked to sign a surrender.

Trump's challenge is to sideline them with even greater pressure as well as the incentives to reach an agreement.

We're expecting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a statement shortly, just after 18:00 BST (20:00 local time in Jerusalem).

Stay put and we'll bring you the latest lines right here as we receive them.

Image source, Reuters

"We went to sleep yesterday with cautious optimism after many months of deadlock" says Ruby Chen. He is the father of Itay Chen, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier who was killed in the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas.

The IDF says the 19-year-old's body was taken by Hamas after he was killed and remains in Gaza.

Ruby praises the "conviction" of Trump and the US to put pressure on Hamas.

"Now it is on PM Netanyahu to show the same conviction" he says in the post shared on X by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

He adds he wants the prime minister to "provide the Israeli negotiation team with a mandate to seal the deal".

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says that 66 people have been killed by Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the war began to 67,074.

A further 265 others were admitted to hospital with injuries, according to a statement posted on Telegram.