An aerial view shows thousands of demonstrators gather at Museumplein demanding firm government action to stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza, in Amsterdam, Netherlands on October 5, 2025. Photo: CFP

Indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Palestine continue in Egypt on Tuesday, as their ongoing conflict reached its two-year mark, leaving far-reaching consequences to international politics - spanning global protests and deepening geopolitical rifts, according to media reports.

According to Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News, cited by CNN, talks between Hamas and mediators were set to resume in Sharm El-Sheikh on Tuesday "amid a positive atmosphere." 

The indirect talks between Israeli and Hamas delegations began on Monday to discuss a framework for exchanging Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Tuesday marks two years of the 2023 attack, where Hamas militants reportedly killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 others hostages. Hamas and other militant groups hold 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, according to CNN. 

CNN also reported that Israel's war on Hamas has resulted in the deaths of more than 67,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, and parts of the enclave have been pushed into famine. A UN inquiry has concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a charge that Israel has denied, according to CNN.

The anniversary also highlighted deepening divisions among Western nations over the conflict.　

In Berlin, a commemorative exhibition titled "The Nova Music Festival Exhibition," dedicated to the victims of the October 7 attack, opened on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government's detention of individuals involved in aid efforts to Gaza has triggered global concern. Among those detained was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, media reports said.

According to Xinhua, Israel on Monday deported 171 activists who had participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a humanitarian mission aimed at challenging Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The group included citizens from the US and 18 European countries, including Thunberg. 

The flotilla, comprising dozens of vessels and over 470 volunteers from more than 40 countries, was intercepted by the Israeli Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. All passengers were transferred to the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, and a total of 341 individuals have been deported so far, according to Xinhua.

Israel has maintained a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, following Hamas' takeover of the enclave. The blockade was further tightened after Hamas launched its cross-border assault in October 2023, Xinhua reported.

Over the weekend, mass protests erupted in Amsterdam, where an estimated 250,000 demonstrators flooded the streets, demanding that the Dutch government take a firmer stance against the war in Gaza. According to Arab News, protesters accused the government of failing to act against what they described as genocide in Gaza and called for political, economic and diplomatic sanctions against Israel.

Earlier, NL Times reported that the Netherlands is considering recognizing a Palestinian state, though it was not yet ready to do so, according to caretaker Foreign Minister David van Weel at a United Nations meeting. Other Western countries, including France, Belgium and Luxembourg, have already taken this step amid Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza.

Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, wrote in an article on thepaper.cn on Tuesday that while Israel has struggled to achieve its fundamental objectives, Palestinians have paid an unbearable price, and the entire Middle East is undergoing dramatic change, leading to geopolitical tremors. 

"This conflict has exposed the complexity of the Palestinian issue, which has long been the crux of Middle East instability," Liu wrote. "The international community's inability to check Israel's aggressive expansion has laid bare the weakness of international law and order, and marks a tragic regression to power politics and jungle law."

Global Times