Follow the latest developments in our liveblog.
Trump announced the agreement on his social network Truth Social. “I am proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed the first phase of our peace plan,” he wrote. “This means that all hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed upon point.”
According to the U.S. president, these should be the first steps toward “a strong, lasting and eternal peace.” He speaks of “a great day for the Arab and Islamic world, Israel, all surrounding countries and the United States.”
Hamas and Israel have confirmed that an agreement has been reached. Hamas does ask the United States for assurances that Israel will actually implement the plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this is “a great day for Israel.” He plans to convene his cabinet Thursday to have the agreement approved by ministers.
Israel expects the hostages to be released Saturday, a government spokesman told Reuters news agency. In an interview with Fox News, Trump later said the exchange will not take place until Monday.
According to Trump, it involves all hostages, including the bodies of deceased Israelis. There are still 48 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, about 20 of whom are still alive.
Hamas reported Wednesday that negotiators had exchanged lists of names of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. These would have to be exchanged in the event of an agreement.
The Hamas list would include names of Palestinian prisoners that Israel previously refused to exchange. These would include political leaders serving life sentences for involvement in killing Israelis.
In the first five days of the agreement, at least four hundred trucks carrying aid supplies are to enter Gaza daily, a Hamas official reported. There should be more later.
Under the peace plan, residents previously forcibly relocated to the south of the Gaza Strip can return to the north. On X, the Israeli army (IDF) warns that it is not yet safe there and that residents are better off not returning yet.
Furthermore, the army says it is preparing for “any scenario” and “a strong defense.” It has also been ordered to get ready for the operation to bring the hostages back to Israel.
Qatari negotiators are playing a key role in the talks between Hamas and Israel. According to a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, details will be announced later.
It already became clear Wednesday night that Hamas and Israel were close to an agreement during talks in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt. Trump already said he had plans to travel to Egypt this weekend. There he would like to arrive just before or just after Hamas releases the Israeli hostages.
In late September, Trump proposed a 20-point plan to bring peace to Gaza. Netanyahu, who was visiting the White House at the time, then agreed after some adjustments.
Late last week, Hamas also said it wanted to talk further about the plan. During talks in Egypt this week, negotiators from both sides wanted to make some more changes to the plan.
While cautious optimism sounds about the peace deal, crucial details remain to be determined, including a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.
According to a source within the extremist Palestinian organization, the deal will be signed Thursday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. After that, negotiations on the second phase will begin “immediately.”
The reaction option under articles and videos about the war between Israel and Hamas and its consequences is disabled by default. The vehemence of the discussions makes good moderation difficult. On Wednesday evenings, you do find a Join the Talk on our front page. You will be able to discuss below that. Until then, we look forward to seeing you under our other productions.
Did an error slip into the above article? Please email us at redactie@nu.nl.
