Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of Gaza peace plan, allowing release of hostages and prioners
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a roundtable about the anti-fascist movement “Antifa,” which he describes as a domestic “terrorist organization,” at the White House State Dining Room in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan that could end the two-year war and free the hostages.
“ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps towards a Strong, Durable and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. he said.
The preliminary agreement was confirmed by Israeli officials, Hamas and mediator Qatar.
Maged al Ansary, spokesman for the Prime Minister of Qatar, said: Publish on X According to the Arabic translation of CNBC’s post, it said an agreement had been reached on “all conditions and mechanisms for the implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to the cessation of the fighting, the release of Israeli detainees and Palestinian detainees, and the allowing of aid to enter.” He added that more details would be announced later.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump regarding X and said, “With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success, a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.” According to Reuters, an Israeli government spokesman said the release of the hostages would begin on Saturday.
Hamas confirmed the details in a separate statement. The group said, “We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediator brothers in Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye. We also value the efforts of US President Donald Trump, who is working to definitively end the war and completely withdraw the occupation from the Gaza Strip.” he said.
It remained unclear whether the sides had made progress on more contentious issues, including whether Hamas would agree to disarmament, as President Trump has demanded, and how to handle governance of the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The agreement was reached after days of negotiations in Egypt. about 20 Israeli hostages in return Approximately 2000 Palestinian prisoners. There was Trump He signaled optimism about the development earlier in the day He stated that he was considering a trip to the Middle East in a few days.
Trump’s 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza, released last month, said: “The process of demilitarizing Gaza… which would involve the permanent removal of weapons from use through an agreed-upon decommissioning process.” he called.
The plan called for Gaza to be governed under the “interim transitional administration of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee responsible for ensuring the day-to-day operation of public services and municipalities for the population of Gaza.”
The Gaza war began in October 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since Killed more than 67,000 peopleIt destroyed much of Gaza and threw the Middle East into crisis.
