by Julia Conley | Oct 9, 2025 | Article, Gaza, Israel, October 7: One Year Later, Palestine, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint
This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Oct. 09, 2025. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
Palestinian civilians and aid groups in Gaza expressed “jubilation” along with underlying caution and “skepticism,” as one local reporter said, on Thursday following the news that Hamas and Israel had come to an agreement to end Israel’s two-year assault on the exclave.
Israel is expected to withdraw troops to an agreed-upon line and to allow an influx of aid into Gaza along with releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a ceasefire would take effect later in the day, “once the government convenes and approves the deal,” but Nour Odeh reported at Al Jazeera that “that is not stopping the celebrations” of the news that Israel’s relentless destruction of Gaza was expected to soon come to a halt.
“People were screaming in the streets, because after two years of bombings and destruction and loss, finally they will sign the ceasefire [deal],” Laila Al Shana, a project manager for Palestinian grassroots aid group Humans To Be in Gaza, told Al Jazeera. “I hope they can maintain this deal.”
Tareq Abu Azzoum, a reporter for the outlet in az-Zawayda, central Gaza, said there was “an undeniable collective sense of relief seen here in Gaza” on Thursday following President Donald Trump’s announcement that Hamas and Israel had reached a deal on the first phase of the 20-point peace plan Trump proposed last week.
Scenes of celebration at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza as news of the ceasefire spread earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/pjI1FyGImL— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 9, 2025
“People were celebrating, and there were very obvious scenes of jubilation across
by Marc Steiner | Oct 7, 2025 | Gaza, Israel, October 7: One Year Later, Palestine, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, The Marc Steiner Show
Intent to destroy all or part of a group is required to meet the criteria of genocide, and Israeli officials have made their intentions towards the people of Gaza explicitly clear, says Phyllis Bennis. In this discussion of her new book, Understanding Palestine & Israel, she explains how other recognized genocides have been defined, the influence of the Holocaust and its aftermath on Zionism and Jewish identity, and why the ceasefire movement indicates a change in the movement for Palestinian rights.
Guests:
Phyllis Bennis is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, where she also serves as co-director of the New Internationalism Project. She is a founding member of the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation and served for six years on the national board of Jewish Voice for Peace. She is the author of numerous books, including Understanding Palestine & Israel.
Credits:
Studio Production: Cameron Granadino
Post-Production: Stephen Frank
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Marc Steiner:
Welcome to the Marc Steiner Show here in the World News. I’m Marc Steiner. It’s good to have you all with this as we open our program today. Somewhere between 66,000 and 80,000 people have been buried under the rubble and Gaza and killed the majority of women and children. Most of the infrastructure has been destroyed. Over 1.2 million people face starvation and seemingly nothing is being done to end this massacre. Many of the most profound voices and leaders of the fight against the war in Gaza are members of the Jewish community who say not in our name. And today we’re
by Maximillian Alvarez | Oct 6, 2025 | Gaza, Israel, October 7: One Year Later, Palestine, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, video
Sparking global outrage and condemnation, Israel has illegally intercepted every vessel and captured every volunteer sailing to Gaza with the Global Sumud Flotilla. Protests over the flotilla’s capture have erupted around the world, from Buenos Aires to Barcelona, and hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Italy in a one-day general strike called by Italian unions in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla. And another, smaller fleet of ships with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is currently sailing to Gaza. Recorded on Saturday, Oct. 4, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Mskwaasin Agnew, a Cree & Dene healthcare worker from the Salt River First Nation, who is sailing with the flotilla on board the Conscience.
Guest:
Mskwaasin Agnew is Cree and Dene from Salt River First Nation, born and raised in Toronto. She is a first responder to people who use drugs and an Indigenous harm reduction practitioner. She is an organizer, land defender, abolitionist, and is well versed in Palestinian and First Nation solidarity.
Additional links/info:
Freedom Flotilla Colation linktree and Instagram
Marc Steiner, The Real News Network, “US veterans’ final message from the Global Sumud Flotilla before being intercepted by Israel”
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “‘If I’m killed on this mission…’: Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail for Gaza despite Israel’s threats”
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Why US veterans are sailing to Gaza with the Global Sumud Flotilla”
Credits:
Studio Production / Post Production: Maximillian Alvarez, David Hebden
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Sparking global outrage in condemnation. Israel has illegally intercepted every single vessel and captured every volunteer sailing to Gaza with
by Michael Fox | Oct 6, 2025 | Gaza, Israel, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, Stories of Resistance
Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in recent days. They’ve marched in dozens of cities. They’re demanding respect and safety for the flotilla passengers kidnapped and detained by Israeli forces. They’re demanding an end to the violence in Gaza and an end to their countries’ complicity in the genocide in Palestine.
BIG NEWS! This podcast is a finalist for this year’s Signal Awards for best history podcast. It’s a huge honor just to get this far.
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All you have to do is click on the link. That will take you to a page where you can click on the Stories of Resistance icon. Register your email and you’re all set.
While you’re there, please also vote for The Real News’s Marc Steiner. He’s in the running for best episode host. You can vote for him here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/individual-episodes/craft/best-host
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Written and produced by Michael Fox.
Resources:
“The Freedom Flotilla: Sailing to break Israel’s siege of Gaza,” TRNN
“Palestino: Chile’s soccer club standing in defense of Palestine,” TRNN
“How Italy’s Workers Shut Their Country Down for Gaza,” The Nation
Here is the link to the website for the Global Sumud Flotilla: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/
As of Monday, October 6, Israel had freed 166 passengers of the flotilla. Israel was
by Maximillian Alvarez | Oct 2, 2025 | Gaza, Israel, labor, October 7: One Year Later, Palestine, Politics and Movements: International, Politics and Movements: US, video
by Marc Steiner | Oct 1, 2025 | Gaza, Israel, October 7: One Year Later, Palestine, Podcast, Politics and Movements: International, The Marc Steiner Show
Peace activists sailing to Gaza with the Global Sumud Flotilla reported Wednesday evening that Israeli naval ships had begun intercepting vessels in their fleet and arresting flotilla members. On Tuesday, just hours before the flotilla entered the “high-risk zone” near the shores of Gaza, Marc Steiner spoke with Phillip Tottenham and Jessica Coltfelter, two US Marine Corps veterans sailing with the flotilla. In this episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Tottenham and Coltfelter discuss why they, as veterans, felt compelled to join this humanitarian mission, and what message they wanted to share with the world in the event of their capture—or worse—by Israel.
Guests:
Philip Tottenham is a US Marine Corps veteran, a member of Veterans For Peace, and a peace and human rights activist.
Jessica Coltfelter, is a US Marine Corps veteran (2008-2012) who served as security detail for Presidential Helicopter Squadron Marine One and, upon End of Active Service, worked as a defense contractor for Triple Canopy. Refusing to perpetuate imperialism, Coltfelter became an activist, educator, and an anti-fascist librarian serving rural and marginalized communities in pursuit of mindful liberation.
Additional resources:
Global Sumud Flotilla website, TikTok, and Instagram
Ephrat Livni and Liam Stack, The New York Times, “Israel intercepts boats headed to Gaza with humanitarian aid”
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network,”‘If I’m killed on this mission…’: Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail for Gaza despite Israel’s threats”
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Why US veterans are sailing to Gaza with the Global Sumud Flotilla”
Credits:
Producer: Rosette Sewali
Studio Production: Cameron Granadino
Audio Post-Production: Stephen Frank
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Marc Steiner:
Welcome to the Marc Steiner Show here on
