Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.
“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 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.
A group said in a statement that the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over the Trump proposal. Hamas called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements all the agreed-upon provisions without delay or changes.
Netanyahu said he would convene the Israeli government on Thursday to approve the deal. “I thank President Trump and his team from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
It was not immediately, however, clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.
Exhausted Palestinians welcome peace deal with mix of hope and skepticism
Exhausted and hardened by months of brutal bombings, some Palestinians were skeptical yet impatient to see the first phase of the Trump peace plan come into effect, just hours after the agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced.
Paramedic Saeed Awad said he was first skeptical about the possibility of a ceasefire because of previous failed attempts to end the war.
“They all ended in failure. So we didn’t really pay attention to this (round),” he said.
When he first heard the news, Awad said, he had to check with others, seeking confirmation.
“We have been in this war and in this suffering for two years,” Awad said.
Alaa Abd Rabbo, displaced from northern Gaza to Deir al-Balah, said the ceasefire deal is “a Godsend day of relief.”
He said he has been displaced from his home several times, to different parts of Gaza.
“We are tired . We have been displaced and this is the day we have been waiting for,” Abd Rabbo said.
“We want to go home, to tend to our affairs, to check on our homes. Even though there are no more homes, but we still want to go home. We want to work. We have been sleeping and staying on the streets.”
Hostage Family Forum welcomes the deal
The families of hostages held in Gaza have welcomed the deal reached by Hamas and Israel on ‘first phase’ of plan. With the fresh peace deal between the two warring countries, the hope of the families of hostages held in Gaza, including Bipin Joshi, has been rekindled. Bipin Joshi had gone to Israel three weeks before the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by Palestine militant group Hamas for an agricultural education plan. He was allegedly abducted by Hamas and taken to the Gaza Strip.
According to a Wall Street Journal report in November 2023, he had risked himself to save lives of all those hiding in his shelter, as two grenades entered the windowless room before he grabbed them and threw one back outside. The second, according to the report, was not so successful, exploding and severely injuring five of his friends.
Very few signs of life had been received of Joshi, aside from a video, at one point, showing he was held in Shifa Hospital, the central hospital in the Gaza Strip.
World leaders are praising peace deal
World leaders have praised the peace agreement in Gaza brokered by Donald Trump.
Argentine President Javier Milei applauded the deal Wednesday, calling it historic, and said he would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed relief that hostages will soon be reunited with their families and called on all parties to implement the agreed terms swiftly.
On Thursday, New Zealand’s government welcomed the announcement of the deal. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely and that, “Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also welcomed the agreement as a “major step” toward calming the situation and achieving a two-state settlement. (with inputs from AP)
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