Israel and Hamas announced late Wednesday that they had agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war on Gaza strip, a war that over two years, has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, displaced hundreds of thousands and left the enclave devastated.
The announcement came one day after the war entered its third year following talks hosted by Egypt the week before. The agreement is considered the first stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to end the war.
Trump hailed the deal and wrote on Truth Social, “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan.”
“This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting Peace,” Trump added.
In Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted the deal as “a diplomatic success” and a victory for Israel, saying that his government would meet Thursday to approve the agreement.
“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Netanyahu and Trump both described the agreement as a “historic achievement” during a phone call, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The Hamas Movement confirmed the agreement, which it sees as a starting point for ending the war, an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a hostage-prisoner exchange.
“We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain,” the Movement said, pledging not to abandon Palestinians’ rights until “freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”
Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, more than 67,173 Palestinians have been killed, and approximately 169,780 others have been injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement and called on both sides to fully commit to it. In a statement he urged Israeli government to allow an “Immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza” to end the suffering of the Palestinians.
