Israel and Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of plan to end Gaza fighting, says Trump
US President Donald Trump said all parties ‘will be treated fairly’.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of Donald Trump’s peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, the US president said.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.
“All Parties will be treated fairly!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media: “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”
Hamas said separately that the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops, as well as allow for the entry of aid and exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.
It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarise, as Mr Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.
But the agreement nonetheless marked the most momentous development since a deal in January and February that involved the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The deal was solidified in Egypt after days of negotiations centred on a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.
The war began with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel in 2023 that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and took 251 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.
Mr Trump expressed optimism earlier in the day by saying that he was considering a trip to the Middle East within a matter of days.
Yet another hint of a deal came later in that event when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed Mr Trump a note on White House stationery that read “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first”.
The note prompted Mr Trump to proclaim: “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”
