Hamas and Israel signed an agreement on Thursday for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the conflict in Gaza.
Officials from both sides confirmed they had signed the agreement after indirect talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The announcement of the agreement was met with celebrations among both Palestinians and Israelis.
The agreement includes the release of captives and prisoners, as well as an increase in aid to Gaza after more than two years of genocide after Tel Aviv began bombing the Palestinian enclave following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire would take effect once the deal is ratified by his government, which would meet today after a security cabinet meeting.
An Israeli government spokeswoman, confirming that the agreement had been signed, said the ceasefire would take effect within 24 hours of the cabinet meeting. After that 24-hour period, the hostages held in Gaza will be released within 72 hours, he said.
A source briefed on the details of the deal previously said that Israeli troops would begin withdrawing within 24 hours of the agreement being signed.
An Israeli official said the 20 Israeli captives believed to still be alive in Gaza after being captured by Hamas would be freed.
The prisoners released in exchange will not include Marwan Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners, the spokeswoman said.
Key developments
- US President Trump says Hamas will release all captives, while Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line.
- Source says Hamas to exchange 20 live captives for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners
- Trump thanks mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye; He previously said he may travel to the Middle East this week as the deal was “very close”; He says he believes the captives will likely be freed on Monday.
Hamas would release all captives, while Israel would withdraw its troops to an agreed line, Trump had said after talks in Egypt on his 20-point peace plan resulted in a deal.
Qatar had said the deal was the “first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will lead to the end of the war, the release of Israeli and Palestinian captives and the influx of aid.”
Hamas will exchange 20 live captives for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the deal, a source within the group said. AFP.
The exchange will take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Thursday, the source familiar with the negotiations said.
The captives will be freed in exchange for 250 Palestinians sentenced to life in prison and another 1,700 arrested by Israel since the war began, the source added.
The Israeli military said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir instructed forces to prepare strong defenses and be prepared for any scenario and to prepare to lead the operation for the return of captives with sensitivity and professionalism, following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have approved the first phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
“This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line as the first step towards a strong, lasting and eternal peace.”
Trump also thanked mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, adding: “BLESSED THE PEACEMAKERS!”
He also said Reuters that a Gaza hostage ceasefire deal brokered in Egypt represented “a great day for the world.”
“The whole world has come together on this case, Israel, all the countries have come together. This has been a fantastic day,” Trump said. Reuters in a brief telephone interview.
“This is a great day for the world. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everyone,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would bring the Israeli captives home “with God’s help.”
In a separate post on X, he said: “With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all of our hostages will be brought home.”
“Through strong determination, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally, President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point,” he said, thanking the American president for “his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the freedom of our hostages.”
Trump previously said he could travel to the Middle East this week as a deal was “very close.”
In a dramatic moment, AFP Reporters watched US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupt a White House event and deliver Trump an urgent memo on the progress of negotiations in Egypt.
“Maybe I’ll go there toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” Trump said, adding that he was “very likely” to appear in Egypt but would also consider going to war-torn Gaza.
Trump’s plan called for a ceasefire, the release of all captives held in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived early for the talks.
An Israeli government spokesman said the release of the captives was expected to begin on Saturday. Meanwhile, Trump said Fox News ‘Hannity’ schedules on Wednesday that captives held in Gaza will likely be released on Monday.
‘Optimism prevails’
As night falls in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, a AFP The contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation before the announcement, with joyful chants of “Allahu akbar” and some celebratory shots fired into the air.
“We are closely following all the news about the negotiations and the ceasefire,” said Mohammed Zamlot, 50, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.
Hamas had presented a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israeli jails in the first phase of the truce.
In exchange, Hamas will release the remaining 47 captives, both alive and dead, who were captured in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Qatar’s prime minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief were also expected to attend Wednesday’s talks.
Hamas said it would be joined by delegations from Islamic Jihad, which has also held some of the captives in Gaza, as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The negotiations took place in the shadow of the second anniversary of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, figures that the United Nations considers credible.
The territory’s civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under the authority of Hamas, said the shelling of Gaza had not stopped in the hours before the deal. A AFP A journalist in Israel near the Gaza border reported hearing multiple explosions in the morning.
Protests, prisoners
Global pressure to end the conflict has increased, with much of Gaza devastated, a UN-declared famine developing and captive Israeli families still longing for the return of their loved ones.
A key to the negotiations were the names of the Palestinian prisoners Hamas lobbied for.
High-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, from Hamas’s rival Fatah movement, was among those the group wanted to see released, according to state-linked Egyptian media.
Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, also said the group wants “assurances from President Trump and the sponsoring countries that the war will end once and for all.”
Arab countries say plan must lead to Palestinian state
The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in the postwar administration of Gaza.
Arab countries backing the plan say it should lead to an eventual independent Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.
There is no clear indication of who will govern Gaza when the war ends. Netanyahu, Trump and Western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since ousting its Palestinian rivals in 2007.
Hamas has said it would hand over governance of Gaza only to a Palestinian technocratic government overseen by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries.
Rejects any role for Blair or foreign domination of Gaza.
Global outrage against Israel’s attack has grown. Multiple rights experts, academics and a UN investigation say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after the 2023 Hamas attack.
