Israel and Hamas have agreed to the initial phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, pausing hostilities in the devastated territory and bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict.
Trump first announced the breakthrough in a post on social media, saying Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, confirmed the development, saying an agreement has been reached on “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” of the first phase of a ceasefire plan.
Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social network saying that all of the hostages held in Gaza would be released soon and Israel would withdraw troops to an agreed upon line as the first step to a “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”
The 20 hostages believed to be still alive may be released as early as this weekend, with sources saying as many as 1,700 Palestinian prisoners could be freed from Israeli jails within 72 hours of the deals signing, which is expected to be today. Hamas called on Trump and guarantor states to ensure Israel fully implements the ceasefire.
Trump hailed what he said was a “great day” for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the US.
“We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Donald Trump
Responding to the announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed “a great day for Israel.”
“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel … From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
Hamas has submitted lists of Palestinian prisoners it wants Israel to release. Israel’s security cabinet will meet today to approve the lists as well as the wider truce deal.
Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said that once the cabinet approves the deal, there will be a 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining living Israeli captives from Gaza.
According to Netanyahu’s office, he and Trump spoke by phone and congratulated each other on the agreement on Wednesday, and the Israeli Prime Minister invited the US President to address Israel’s parliament.
There was celebration among Palestinians in Gaza and among Israelis.
Israel-Hamas Agreement Hailed
UN Chief, António Guterres, welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement and called on all parties to “abide fully” by its terms.
UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer called it a moment of “profound relief” and said he was “grateful for the tireless diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and the United States, supported by our regional partners, in securing this crucial first step.”
“This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Keir Starmer
Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani also welcomed the first stage of the ceasefire deal, saying, “peace is near.”
In a post on X, Tajani stated that Italy has always supported Trump’s plan and was ready to help consolidate the deal, deliver aid to the enclave and “to participate in the reconstruction of Gaza.”
“[Italy is] also ready to send troops in case of the creation of an international peacekeeping force to reunify Palestine.”
Antonio Tajani
Many of the details of the agreement reached after 3 days of indirect talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh remain unclear and challenges of implementing its terms are immense.
Successful completion of the deal would mark the biggest foreign policy achievement so far for Trump, who took office in January promising to quickly end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, only to be confronted with obstacles and complexities he had apparently not foreseen.
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