Source: BBC
President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of what he called his Gaza peace deal, marking a potential turning point in the two-year conflict.
In a post on social media, Trump said “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon” and that “Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line.”
Hamas confirmed the agreement but said it had not yet received the final list of prisoners Israel plans to release in exchange for hostages, a Palestinian source told the BBC.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the deal as “a great day for Israel” and said he would convene his government Thursday to approve the agreement. A senior Palestinian official said a cease-fire would take effect immediately after that approval, expected around 2 p.m. local time.
The talks, brokered in Egypt with support from the United States, Qatar and Turkey, come two years and two days after Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza. That operation followed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Since then, at least 67,183 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza, including 20,179 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Under the first phase of the deal, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained since the war began. Hamas, in turn, is expected to release 20 living hostages. Israel will also allow 400 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day, with the number increasing in later stages.
Despite the breakthrough, key issues remain unresolved. Hamas has yet to receive Israel’s list of prisoners to be freed, and further negotiations will be required to finalize later phases of the peace plan.
“While it is a significant breakthrough, the first-phase deal is only the beginning, not the end. It’s a cease-fire, not a peace deal,” said Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the development, writing on X, formerly Twitter, “Great news. Let’s get the hostages out and surge aid in – fast.” He said UN teams were “fully mobilized” to deliver supplies and urged safe access for aid workers.
Fletcher’s comments come amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. In August, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared famine in Gaza, where an estimated half a million people were reported to be starving. Aid agencies have accused Israel of obstructing food deliveries, a charge Netanyahu denies.
A White House official said Israel’s cabinet is expected to vote on the peace plan Thursday. If approved, Israel will have 24 hours to withdraw its troops, triggering a 72-hour window for Hamas to release hostages.
Trump suggested Wednesday that he may travel to the Middle East as the agreement is finalized. “The hostages will probably be released on Monday,” he wrote, adding that he hopes to be present when it happens.
Though optimism is growing that the deal could end the war, analysts caution that deep divisions, unresolved political questions and the scale of Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe may complicate the path to lasting peace.
