Highlights:
- Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire and hostage release under Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
- 20 Israeli hostages to be exchanged for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
- Ceasefire to begin after Israeli cabinet approval; Gaza reports new air strikes.
- Celebrations in Gaza and Israel as families await return of hostages.
ISRAEL and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal under the first phase of US president Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, aimed at ending the two-year war.
The agreement, to be signed in Egypt’s resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, includes the release of 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire is to take effect once the Israeli cabinet approves it, with troops expected to start withdrawing from Gaza within 24 hours of the signing, according to officials.
Egypt’s state-affiliated Qahera TV said the truce officially came into effect after noon local time (0900 GMT) following the signing ceremony.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the deal would be implemented after cabinet ratification, scheduled for Thursday evening.
Residents in Gaza reported several air strikes on Gaza City around the time the signing was expected, while the Gaza health ministry said at least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours.
Hostage-prisoner exchange
A Hamas source told AFP the group would exchange 20 living hostages for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the agreement, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the war began.
The release of the hostages, believed to take place within 72 hours, is expected on Sunday or Monday. Another 26 hostages have been declared dead in absentia, while the fate of two others is unknown. Hamas has said recovering some bodies could take time.
Trump said he believed the hostages would “all be coming back on Monday”. Netanyahu said he would bring the hostages home “with God’s help”.
Joy in Gaza and Israel
News of the deal sparked widespread celebration in both Gaza and Israel.
In Gaza, where much of the population has been displaced, young men were seen singing, dancing and clapping in the streets despite continued air strikes.
“Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn't hold back. Tears of joy flowed. Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and the constant feeling that we could die at any moment,” displaced Palestinian Samer Joudeh told AFP. “Now, we finally feel like we're getting a moment of respite.”
In Khan Younis, Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo said, “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing. I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, families of those abducted by Hamas gathered to celebrate. “I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling... it’s crazy,” said Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is among the hostages. “What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him... just tell him that I love him.”
20-point framework
The ceasefire comes just a day after the second anniversary of the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered Israel’s military assault on Gaza. That attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed at least 67,183 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures the UN considers credible. More than half of those killed are women and children, though the data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Trump announced the agreement late Wednesday, saying both sides had “signed off on the first phase” of his 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,” he said on Truth Social.
Netanyahu called the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”
However, far-right members of his coalition, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, opposed any deal with Hamas.
Smotrich said Hamas must be destroyed once the hostages are returned and added that he would not vote in favour of the deal, though he did not threaten to collapse the coalition.
International reaction
Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called the agreement a historic moment. Saudi Arabia described it as an important step toward achieving comprehensive and just peace in the region.
Qatar said the deal was “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.”
Global pressure to end the conflict has grown amid reports of famine in Gaza and accusations of war crimes. A UN inquiry last month accused Israel of genocide, a charge the government rejected as “distorted and false.” Hamas has also been accused of committing war crimes.
Next phase and unresolved issues
The next phase of Trump’s peace plan calls for Hamas’s disarmament and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority led by Trump himself, though this has not yet been addressed.
An international body led by Trump and including former British prime minister Tony Blair is expected to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration. Arab countries backing the plan have said it should eventually lead to an independent Palestinian state, which Netanyahu has opposed.
Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said the group wants “guarantees from president Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all.”
Talks were held behind closed doors in Sharm el-Sheikh, without the ceremonial displays that accompanied earlier ceasefire negotiations in Egypt, signalling that several deeper issues remain unresolved.
(With inputs from agencies)
