ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have both "signed off" on the first phase of a ceasefire to bring the bloody Gaza conflict to an end, hours after he said he may go to the Middle East.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means 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 in a post on his Truth Social platform. "All Parties will be treated fairly!"
Trump described the landmark deal as a "GREAT DAY" for the "Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America."
The American president also thanked regional mediators including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey who "worked with us to this Historic and Unprecedented Event Happen."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, described the latest developments as a "big day for Israel" and thanked US President Trump.
"Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home," Netanyahu said. "I thank from the bottom of my heart President Trump and his team for their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages.
Last week, Trump unveiled a “comprehensive plan” aimed at ending the near two-year-long war in Gaza, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages within 72 hours, and the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave, alongside the exclusion of the Palestinian movement Hamas from any future political role in Gaza.
On Friday, he gave Hamas a deadline to release Israeli hostages and agree to his latest plan to end the Gaza war, warning that “all HELL” will break out against Hamas if it fails to do so.
Hours later, Hamas announced its readiness to release all Israeli hostages it captured two years ago and to transfer control of Gaza to a technocratic administration.
Trump’s 20-point plan, which has been approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlines a vision for the future of Gaza. It calls for a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” to temporarily govern the territory. The administration will be overseen by an international transitional body called the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump himself.
Palestinian Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a massive ongoing offensive in Gaza, killing more than 66,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
