While international mediators celebrate the ceasefire in Gaza as a historic breakthrough, the first shocking reports are coming in from the liberated areas: According to Middle East expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans Jakob Schindler, Hamas is deliberately executing Palestinians who have opposed its rule in recent months.

According to terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza war is the biggest hurdle. In an interview with WELT, he warns that Hamas is already taking back control of areas from which Israel has withdrawn.

[CEO of the Counter Extremism Project] Mark Wallace, former US ambassador to the UN, told The Independent that the agreement had the potential to be “transformational”. But “the challenges ahead lie in the greatest reconstruction effort certainly since Kuwait, if not the Second World War”. “And, of course, what does the governance look like that is sustainable and peaceful?” he said.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed regarding Hamas and the ceasefire deal. During the night, US President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough in the Gaza war. Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan. Many details are still unclear, such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the coastal strip and the release of hostages still held by Hamas. Arte correspondent Uri Schneider reports live from Tel Aviv

Israel's military assumes that there are up to 3,000 combat-ready members of Hamas in the city of Gaza. In total, the terrorist organization still has 16,000 to 18,000 fighters. "However, there is currently no longer any organized 'military' resistance by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The terrorists sometimes attack an Israeli tank with a rocket, sometimes they lay a booby trap," Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. "In the beginning, Hamas still had real combat units, a kind of army with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers. Now it operates with cells that lure Israeli soldiers into an ambush and then retreat again. Parts of the underground tunnel system still exist as escape routes."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on the situation in Gaza and Hamas. "In a rare press conference with international journalists, the Israeli Prime Minister has tried to defend his controversial plans to seize Gaza City. Benjamin Netanyahu spoke just before an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where Israel was strongly condemned for its conduct in Gaza. He claimed taking control of Hamas' remaining strongholds was the best way to end the war and secure the release of hostages."  

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on the situation in Gaza and Hamas. "Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Germany will suspend arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip. It marks a major shift for the German government, which has been one of Israel's staunchest allies and largest arms suppliers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the decision. It comes after Israel announced plans to take control of Gaza City, sparking widespread condemnation both internationally and at home."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed for story: The Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the 21 months of war. These latest figures come as a group of UN-backed experts warns that the territory is now on the brink of a full-scale famine. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has again rejected claims of starvation policies in Gaza, saying the international media's focus on the topic was a 'distorted campaign of international pressure.' Israel has repeatedly said that there is no shortage of food in the Gaza strip, and that Hamas is withholding supplies from civilians.