President Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the “first phase” of a peace deal expected to pause fighting in Gaza and lead to the release of hostages held by the terror group.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“All Parties will be treated fairly!” the president added, calling it “a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America.”
Echoing Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the approval of the first phase of the peace plan means “all our hostages will be brought home.”
“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement, posted on X.
“From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved,” the prime minister continued. “Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point.”
“I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages. God Bless Israel. God Bless America. God Bless our great alliance.”
Mediators are planning for a formal agreement between Israel and Hamas to be inked on Thursday, sources involved in the negotiations in Egypt told The Times of Israel.
Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he spoke with Netanyahu after the deal announcement, and said he expects the hostages will be released on Monday, US time.
A senior White House official explained that the deal will head to the Israeli cabinet on Thursday for approval – and then Israeli troops must begin to pull back from some parts of the Gaza strip.
“The deal goes to the IsraelI cabinet tomorrow. Once they vote yes, Israel has to withdraw to the line which should take under 24 hours,” the senior White House official said.
“Then the 72 hour clock begins, and Hamas will try to go earlier if possible. Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday,” the official added.
Trump had teased during a White House event earlier in the day that a deal between Hamas and Israel was imminent.
“I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly,” the president said after being handed a piece of paper by Secretary of State Marco Rubio near the end of the event. The message read that a deal was “[v]ery close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
Trump thanked “the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” in his post.
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he added.
Roughly 20 living Israeli hostages will be released this weekend, sources told The Post.
The bodies of at least 28 hostages who died during two years in captivity will be delivered later, though it’s unclear if Hamas will be able to locate all of the remains, sources said.
Israel is expected to release a significant number of Palestinian inmates as part of the deal, though their identities were not immediately known.
Trump’s 20-point peace calls for Israel to release 250 Palestinians with life sentences, “plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children detained in that context.”
For each dead hostage, Israel is due to deliver the remains of 15 Gazans.
“Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty,” Trump’s peace blueprint says. “Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.”
The plan specifies three rounds of Israeli troop pullbacks away from Gaza’s heavily populated coastal areas, with the first due to occur in conjunction with the hostage release.
Officials did not immediately announce steps to resolve some of the toughest points in the peace roadmap — such as international troop contributions for a peacekeeping force, or members of a proposed “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian” interim government.
The transitional government is due to be overseen by a Board of Peace chaired by Trump, with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as a member.
Trump said Wednesday afternoon that he may personally attend to the sensitive final discussions in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump will receive his annual physical on Friday and “is considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.”
There were no immediate updates on Trump’s travel plans following his announcement.
