Israel and Hamas agree on first phase of Trump’s peace plan

According to US President Donald Trump, Israel and the Islamist Hamas have reached the first important agreements in the struggle to resolve the Gaza war. Both the mediating country Qatar as well as Hamas and Israel confirmed the agreement. Specifically, all hostages will soon be released and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line, as the Republican announced on the Truth Social platform: “All parties will be treated fairly.”

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of our peace plan,” Trump said on Truth Social. He further wrote of a “first step towards a strong, lasting and eternal peace.”

Trump thanked other mediating countries in the conflict – Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. Indirect negotiations took place between Israel and the Islamist organization Hamas in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, over a peace plan presented by Trump. This marks a breakthrough two years after the start of the Gaza war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a short message on X about a “great day for Israel.” Netanyahu announced that he wanted to convene the government on Thursday and have the agreement approved, thanking Donald Trump “for his commitment to this holy mission to free our hostages.”

In its statement, Hamas confirmed that the agreement included an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal enclave and an exchange of hostages for prisoners. Hamas called on Trump and the guarantor powers to ensure that Israel fully implements the ceasefire, the statement added.

According to Trump’s plan, Israel’s army should withdraw to an agreed line in preparation for the release of hostages. However, it was initially unclear where exactly this line should run. Netanyahu recently said that the Israeli military should continue to control strategically important areas “deep in the Gaza Strip.” According to Trump’s plan, the complete withdrawal is only planned at a later date, when an international stabilization force (ISF) ensures security on site.

Hamas announced that the hostages would be released within 72 hours of the signing of the agreement. During the first phase of the agreement, a total of 20 living hostages are to be released in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, the AFP news agency learned from Hamas circles on Thursday. There are still 48 hostages in the Gaza Strip, of which, according to Israeli information, 20 are still alive.

Trump said in an interview with Fox News in the evening (local time) that he expected all the hostages to return by Monday. This also included the bodies of the hostages who are no longer alive. Trump also said the US would play a role in rebuilding the Gaza Strip and maintaining peace and security.

Trump had previously announced that he would “possibly” travel to the Middle East at the end of the week. “We’ll see, but the chances are good,” he told reporters, adding that this could happen “maybe as early as Sunday.” The US President also said that he would probably travel to Egypt. But he is also considering visiting the Gaza Strip.

What has not yet been mentioned is an important sticking point in the peace plan: the disarmament of terrorists in the Gaza Strip. This is what Trump’s peace plan envisages: As soon as all hostages are released, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and to lay down their weapons will receive amnesty. The US is convinced that terror will return if there is no disarmament. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday of the longer-term goals, which include disarmament: “This will be difficult, but it is crucial, because without it there will be no lasting peace. You may get the hostages back, you may achieve a cessation of hostilities, but in the long term everything will repeat itself.”

The USA had emphasized that there were two phases of the negotiations. On the one hand, the one about the release of hostages, which has absolute priority. On the other hand, a second phase in which long-term peace should be secured. The USA also included disarmament among these.

The families of the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip have welcomed the breakthrough in indirect negotiations. “This is an important and significant step towards bringing everyone home, but our fight is not over and will only end when the last hostage returns,” said a statement from the Hostage Families Forum. They greeted the news of the agreement on the first phase of the US peace plan with a “mixture of excitement, anticipation and concern.”

Images from Tel Aviv in the early hours of the morning show relief and joy at the news of an agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas. The images come from the so-called Geiselplatz in the center of Tel Aviv, the site of numerous rallies and meetings over the past two years, where relatives and supporters raise public awareness of those abducted. Later, the square was largely empty because it was raining, as the “Times of Israel” writes. In one photo you can see a man with an umbrella – others have wrapped themselves in Israeli flags.

In a photo from the night, an American flag is waved – a sign that the long-awaited breakthrough is attributed to the US administration of President Donald Trump. “We can finally breathe again,” says a letter to Trump from the Hostage Families Forum published online, in which the relatives invite him to meet them on a possible visit to Israel or even to give a speech in the square.

The indirect negotiations began on Monday with the aim of gradually bringing the Gaza war, which has been going on for two years, to an end. Among others, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Israel’s Minister Ron Dermer and Chalil al-Haja, Hamas’ highest representative abroad, traveled to Sharm El-Sheikh. Attempts to end the Gaza war have failed several times in the past.

The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas fighters and allied Islamists on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli information, more than 1,200 people were killed. 251 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 67,100 people were killed. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory is catastrophic.

Note: This article has been updated to include additional information.