Two years on from October 7th, Donald Trump is on the cusp of brokering a fragile peace deal between Israel and Hamas. But with Hamas showing signs of reconstituting itself and Israeli forces still in control of much of the Strip, few believe the war is truly over.

In this episode, we hear from The Telegraph’s Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin, fresh from an Israeli army embed inside Gaza City, about what he saw on the ground and why Hamas’s resilience could shape what comes next. 

Venetia also speaks to Dalia Horn, whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn is one of around twenty hostages believed to be alive in Gaza out of the 48 not yet released. 

Plus, Sophia Yan catches up again with two close friends from the Oasis of Peace — one Jewish Israeli, one Palestinian — who she has spoken to throughout the conflict about their friendship and whether they still believe in the two-state solution. 

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Read Henry’s dispatch: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/04/inside-gaza-city-idf-face-younger-braver-hamas/

Read El Sharabi’s book extract: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/04/eli-sharabi-hamas-hostage-book-extract-2/

Listen to Sophia’s previous conversations with the best friends: 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/02/14/battle-lines-israel-oasis-of-peace-palestine/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/09/israels-oasis-of-peace-one-year-later/

https://linktr.ee/BattleLines

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk 

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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