US President Donald Trump has announced on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of a peace plan.
He said all hostages would be released soon and Israel would withdraw their troops to an agreed-upon line, as the first steps towards a “strong, durable and everlasting peace”.
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” he wrote.
A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed an agreement had been reached.
“The mediators announce that tonight an agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” Majed Al Ansari wrote on social media.
“The details will be announced later.”
Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of the plan to achieve peace in Gaza, Donald Trump says. (Reuters: Amir Cohen)
The announcement comes after days of negotiations in Egypt to hash out a plan for peace between Israel and Hamas.
This week marked the two-year anniversary of the war in Gaza, which began when the militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians, on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, Gazan health authorities say, and devastated the enclave.
After Mr Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement was a “great day for Israel”.
“I will convene the government tomorrow to ratify the agreement and bring all of our precious hostages home,” he said in a statement.
“I thank the heroic IDF soldiers and all security forces whose courage and sacrifice have allowed us to reach this day.
“I thank President Trump and his team from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages.”
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