President Donald Trump said Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of a peace plan. The president made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Peace plan
“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 wrote.
The president also mentioned the other nations that helped broker the deal.
“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,” Trump wrote.
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The negotiations for this plan took place in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh even as Israel ramped up its offensive in Gaza.
Hostage release
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will convene his government on Thursday to ratify the deal.
“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel. From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved.”
Netanyahu and Trump also spoke on the phone following the announcement of the deal.
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48 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza, and 20 of them are believed to be alive.
“I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages,” Netanyahu wrote. “God Bless Israel. God Bless America. God Bless our great alliance.”
A senior White House official reportedly told CNN the hostage release will begin on Monday, but it’s possible the timeline could be moved up.
The mother of Matan Zangauker, one of those being held hostage by Hamas, reacted to the news on X.
“Matan returns home to me, to Natalie and Shani, to Ilana, the love of his life, to you, to the country💙 For these tears, I prayed,” Einav Zangauker wrote in a post translated from Hebrew.
Hamas reaction
Hamas has also put out a statement in reaction to the deal, saying the agreement will “end the war on Gaza, ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange.”
They thanked the mediator countries as well as Trump but called on them to “ensure that the Israeli occupation government fully complies with the terms of the agreement.”
Hamas said the people of Gaza “have demonstrated unmatched courage, honor, and heroism.”
Trump to the Middle East?
Trump’s social post came as he spoke to reporters. Sec. of State Marco Rubio slipped him a note to approve the social post announcing the deal.
“You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” the note read.
Trump then went on to say, “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”
The president later said he’s considering a trip to the Middle East sometime next week following the deal.
“I may go there, sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually,” Trump said. “And we’ll see. But there’s a very good chance negotiations are going along very well. We’re dealing with Hamas and many of the countries. As you know, we have Muslim. All of the Muslim countries are included. All of Arab countries are included. Very rich countries, and some that are not so rich.”
