Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan’s first step is agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.
A ceasefire and hostage agreement that might pave the way for the end of a brutal two-year-old conflict that has rocked the Middle East was agreed to by Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, marking the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
Indirect negotiations in Egypt resulted in an agreement on the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave, only one day after the second anniversary of the cross-border incursion by Hamas militants that led to Israel’s devastating onslaught on Gaza.
If fully implemented, the agreement will strengthen Israel’s international isolation and change the Middle East while bringing the two sides closer than any before attempt to end a war that had turned into a regional struggle that attracted nations like Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran.
However, as has happened with past peace attempts, the agreement that Trump revealed late Wednesday was vague and left many unanswered problems that might possibly cause it to fall apart.
The agreement’s successful conclusion would be a big foreign policy win for the Republican president, who ran on a platform of bringing peace to key international crises but has found it difficult to deliver on his promises in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump stated on Truth Social.
“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 stated.
Regarding the Hamas-held prisoners, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” He promised to call a meeting of his administration on Thursday to endorse the deal.
According to Hamas, an agreement to end the battle has been struck, and it includes an exchange of hostages and an Israeli pullout from the enclave. However, in a statement, the group urged Trump and the guarantor states to make sure Israel fully complies with the truce.
Trump had stated that a deal was nearly finalized and that he would visit Egypt this weekend, with plans to go as early as Saturday.
He declared on Truth Social that “All Parties will be treated fairly!” “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.”
The talks, which were started Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, appeared to gain speed with the participation of senior envoys from the United States, Qatar, and Turkey.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu, represented Israel, while Trump sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.