The Gaza ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, 2025, formally entered its second phase in mid-March 2026, following the recovery of the remains of the last hostage — Ran Gvili — from a cemetery in northern Gaza in late January, clearing the final milestone of Phase 1. Fox News reported on Phase 2's launch under the headline "Trump administration's Gaza peace plan enters new phase, but disarming Hamas remains unresolved," noting that the ceasefire's second phase calls for full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, deployment of an international stabilization force, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction — but that progress on Hamas disarmament in particular remains the plan's central unresolved test. PBS NewsHour reported that Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas "will soon enter" the second phase, though a precise start date was not confirmed.

As Phase 2 negotiations continued, approximately 2 million Palestinians in Gaza marked Eid al-Fitr — the major Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan — on Friday, March 20. NPR published photographs and reporting of Eid prayers in Gaza, calling the ceasefire "fragile" but noting that the six-month halt in major fighting had allowed families to gather publicly for the first time in years. France 24 reported that "in the shadow of the Iran war, Gazans prepare for Eid" — the U.S.-Iran conflict has complicated the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the ceasefire and drawn diplomatic attention away from Gaza at a sensitive phase of negotiations.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains deeply constrained. Approximately 200 trucks of humanitarian aid enter Gaza daily, a fraction of the 600 trucks per day that United Nations aid agencies say are needed to support the population. Israel enacted a ban on 37 international nongovernmental organizations — including Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, and the Norwegian Refugee Council — for failing to provide staff biodata under new registration requirements that took effect in January 2026. NPR had reported on the NGO ban in detail, noting that Doctors Without Borders alone had treated approximately 1 million people in Gaza in the prior year.

The Trump administration's 20-point comprehensive Gaza peace plan, announced by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in January 2026, laid out a roadmap from ceasefire through demilitarization, technocratic Palestinian governance, an international security force, and reconstruction. A Board of Peace and National Committee for the Administration of Gaza were established as administrative bodies under Phase 2. Fox News framed the Phase 2 launch as a significant diplomatic achievement of the Trump administration, while NPR and Al Jazeera noted that Phase 1 obligations — including a complete Israeli withdrawal from specified areas and reopening of the Rafah crossing — had not been fully implemented, raising questions about enforcement mechanisms for Phase 2's more demanding requirements.