Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza aimed at ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, devastated the Palestinian territory and unleashed a major humanitarian crisis.
The deal, set to be signed on Thursday, includes the release of captives and prisoners as well as increased aid to Gaza after more than two years of genocide after Tel Aviv began bombing the Palestinian enclave following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
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.
The Palestinian group Hamas would release all captives while Israel would withdraw its troops to an agreed line, US President Donald Trump said after talks in Egypt on his 20-point peace plan concluded in a deal.
Qatar said the agreement was the “first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will lead to the end of the war, the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners and the entry 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 Thursday.
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.
Announcement of opportunity to ensure lasting peace in the Middle East: Prime Minister
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the announcement was a “historic opportunity to ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.”
“President Trump’s leadership throughout the dialogue and negotiations process reflects his unwavering commitment to world peace,” he said in a post on X.
“The determined and wise leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye must also be applauded for their tireless efforts to negotiate an agreement,” he said.
“Above all, we must all pay tribute to the Palestinian people, who have suffered in an unprecedented way, something that should never, ever be repeated,” he said.
It also noted with concern and strongly condemned the “recent provocations at Masjid Al Aqsa.”
“The world must hold illegal occupiers and settlers accountable and prevent further actions that undermine President Trump’s enormous efforts to reduce tensions and pave the way for lasting peace,” he said.
“We will continue to work with partners, friends and leaders of sister nations to ensure that peace, security and dignity of the Palestinian people are established in accordance with their wishes and UN resolutions,” he said.
‘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.
