Israeli Military Bombs Gaza on War Anniversary as Hamas and Israel Discuss Trump Ceasefire Plan

Israeli tanks, jets, and naval forces pounded parts of Gaza on Tuesday, offering Palestinians no respite on the anniversary of the Hamas assault that ignited a two-year war — underscoring the challenges facing talks over former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ceasefire plan.

Residents said Israel pressed ahead with its offensive despite the absence of a truce, even as indirect negotiations began on Monday between Hamas and Israel at Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort. The talks are said to focus on key issues such as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

Trump’s plan — aimed at halting the war that began after Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel — is being viewed as the most promising diplomatic effort yet to end the conflict that has devastated Gaza and claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.

Airstrikes and Rocket Fire Mark Grim Anniversary

Witnesses reported heavy bombardment early Tuesday in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis and in Gaza City to the north. The Israeli military confirmed that militants fired rockets across the border, triggering air raid sirens in the Israeli kibbutz of Nativ HaAsara.

Commemorating the Hamas assault, militant factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and several smaller groups released a joint statement vowing that “resistance in all its forms remains the only path to confront the Zionist enemy.”

“No one has the right to demand the surrender of the Palestinian people’s weapons,” the statement said. “These legitimate arms will remain in the hands of our people until their land and holy sites are liberated.”

In Israel, memorials were held at sites hit hardest by the attack, including the Nova music festival — where 364 people were killed — and at Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square,” where families of those still held in Gaza gathered.

“For the hostages’ families, it’s an open wound,” said 43-year-old Hilda Weisthal. “It’s hard to believe two years have passed and they’re still not home. I just hope our leaders will finally bring this war to an end.”

Life in Gaza: “Two Years of Fear and Destruction”

In Gaza, 49-year-old Mohammad Deeb expressed exhaustion and despair. “It’s been two years of fear, terror, displacement, and devastation,” he said.

Since the conflict began, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed — about one-third of them under 18, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel claims at least 20,000 of the dead were militants.

Israel maintains that its campaign targets Hamas and that it tries to avoid civilian casualties, accusing the group of using populated areas as cover — a charge Hamas denies.

A United Nations commission last month concluded that Israel had committed crimes in Gaza, a finding Israel rejected as biased and “disgraceful.”

A Region in Turmoil

Israel’s retaliation for the 2023 Hamas attack has included strikes inside Gaza, assassinations of Hamas leaders abroad, attacks on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, and even raids that killed senior Iranian commanders. The escalation culminated in a 12-day U.S.-backed war with Iran that targeted its nuclear infrastructure.

The Gaza offensive has left much of the enclave in ruins and further isolated Israel diplomatically. Several Western governments have since recognized a Palestinian state, and mass pro-Palestinian demonstrations have erupted worldwide.

Trump Pushes for Diplomatic Breakthrough

Both Israel and Hamas have, in principle, backed the broad framework of Trump’s proposal — an immediate halt to fighting, the release of hostages, and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The plan has also received backing from several Arab and Western nations, with Trump urging negotiators to move swiftly toward a final accord.

Still, key questions remain unresolved, particularly who will govern and rebuild Gaza once the fighting stops. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ruled out any future role for Hamas.

A Hamas official familiar with the talks said the group is demanding a clear timetable for Israel’s withdrawal and a binding guarantee that the war will end. Negotiators expect the discussions in Egypt to last several days.

Officials involved in ceasefire planning said Trump’s proposed 72-hour deadline for returning hostages may not apply to the bodies of those killed, which could take longer to recover from multiple sites.

Three Israeli officials said Israel’s strategic affairs minister and chief negotiator, Ron Dermer, is expected to join the talks later this week depending on progress. Hamas’s delegation is being led by Khalil al-Hayya, its exiled Gaza leader who survived an Israeli airstrike in Doha last month.

The White House confirmed it has dispatched Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to participate in the discussions.