First phase of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and Hamas | Israel-Gaza war

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire plan in Gaza that would pause hostilities in the devastated region and bring the best hope yet for a decisive end to the bloody two-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, destabilized much of the Middle East and sparked protests around the world.

Donald Trump announced the agreement on the Truth Social network, saying that all hostages held in Gaza would soon be released and that Israel would withdraw its troops to an agreed-upon line as the first step towards a “Strong, Enduring and Everlasting Peace.”

Hamas confirmed in a statement on Thursday that it had accepted the US president’s proposal and that the deal included Israel’s withdrawal from the region and a hostage-prisoner exchange.

Trump is expected to visit Jerusalem on Sunday, according to a statement from the Israeli presidential office, but the United States has not officially announced a visit.

There were celebrations among Palestinians and Israelis in Gaza, but few anywhere needed reminders that the previous two agreements had failed to end the war.

Israel said “all parties” signed the final draft of the “first phase” of the agreement in Egypt on Thursday morning.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire would come into force once the agreement was approved by his government, which is scheduled to meet following a security cabinet meeting at 6pm (16:00 BST) on Thursday.

An Israeli government spokesman said the ceasefire would come into force within 24 hours of the cabinet meeting. It was stated that the 20 hostages believed to be still alive in Gaza will be released within 72 hours.

An Israeli government spokesman said that Israeli forces would withdraw to an agreed line in the Gaza Strip, leaving them in control of 53% of the area.

In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but the spokesman said that Marwan Barghouti, a senior figure in Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, very popular in the West Bank and Gaza, and often mentioned as a future leader, will not be among these people.

Hamas called on Trump and the guarantor states to ensure that Israel fully implements the ceasefire.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Kasim told Al Jazeera Arabic that the group had sought assurances from international mediators that it would implement the terms of the agreement after accusing Israel of “manipulating” parts of the agreement.

Kasım said, “There were talks with friends about a ceasefire at noon today, but the occupation is postponing the announcement to other dates due to internal reasons.”

In an interview Wednesday, Trump said he believed the hostages would “come back” on Monday.

In Tel Aviv, hostage families and their supporters gathered in the early hours of the morning and chanted “Nobel Prize for Trump”. Some opened champagne and cheered. Families shedding tears of joy hugged the previously released hostages in Hostage Square, which was occupied by protesters calling for the release of prisoners for the last two years and where a festive atmosphere prevailed..

“I feel great, I feel like I’m in a dream. Who would have thought that after two years, this would finally happen?” said Margo Orton, a retired kindergarten teacher, holding a U.S. and Israeli flag.

Palestinians in Gaza reacted to this news with both joy and disbelief. “Thank God for the ceasefire, for the end of bloodshed and killings,” said Abdul Majeed abd Rabbo from the southern city of Khan Younis. “I am not the only one who is happy, the entire Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, the whole world is happy with the ceasefire and the cessation of bloodshed.”

Trump praised it as a “great day” for the United States, as well as the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and all surrounding nations. “We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye who worked with us to realize this historic and unprecedented event. Blessed are the peacemakers!” he sent it.

UN chief António Guterres welcomed the agreement and called on all parties to “fully comply” with its terms.

Speaking from India, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as a moment of “deep relief”. “This agreement must now be fully implemented without delay and accompanied by the immediate removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” he said.

The successful completion of the deal would be the biggest foreign policy achievement yet for Trump, who took office in January promising to quickly end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, but he will face obstacles and complexities he apparently did not foresee.

High-level envoys from the United States, Qatar and Türkiye attended talks in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh this week, seen as adding momentum to discussions that began on Monday. Trump sent his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Signs that a deal was close came at a White House roundtable meeting early Wednesday, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed the president a handwritten note with the words “very close” underlined.

Many details of the agreement reached after three days of indirect negotiations still remain unclear and there are great difficulties in implementing the terms.

Although negotiators bridged gaps between Hamas and Israel on the details of the first phase of the 20-point plan that Trump unveiled at the White House last week, it was not immediately clear whether the sides had made any progress on tougher questions, such as how to disarm Hamas and the eventual administration of Gaza, as Netanyahu has demanded.

But if the deal is implemented, it would bring the two sides closer together from efforts to stop a war that has already escalated into a regional conflict, drawing in countries like Iran, Yemen and Lebanon and reshaping the Middle East. One previous ceasefire lasted just 10 days, the other six weeks.

After the deal was announced, Trump told Fox News that the United States would play a role in helping rebuild war-torn Gaza. “We will help them succeed and stay at peace,” the president said.

More than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 170,000 injured in Israel’s incessant attacks. Approximately 20,000 children were among the dead. Large parts of Gaza are in ruins, its people now homeless and impoverished under the rubble of their homes among barren fields and broken roads. Witnesses describe entire neighborhoods and even towns turning to fine gravel. It is thought that thousands more people are buried but their identities have not yet been determined.

Approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed by Hamas militants during the raid on Israel on October 7, 2023; this was the largest loss in the country’s history. 251 more people were taken hostage. Hundreds of Israeli men and women died in the war in Gaza. Hamas has previously said it would be difficult to find the remains of all dead hostages.

In recent days, Israel has reduced the intensity of its military operations on Trump’s orders, but has not stopped the attacks completely. Gaza health officials reported that 8 people died in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours. Even if aid comes through the UN and the Red Crescent, as stated in Trump’s plan, hundreds of thousands of people will not have enough food and shelter.

The war in Gaza has spread throughout the region and triggered new conflicts in Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. The relief among regional rulers, many of whom face waves of public anger, will be great if balanced by some anxiety about what might happen in Gaza. They will now have to answer the question of who will provide soldiers for the promised stabilization force in the region and who will cover the reconstruction costs that will last for decades.

Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting