Israel and the radical Islamic terror group Hamas have reached an agreement to end the two-year war in Gaza, with all remaining hostages set to be released within days, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”
The breakthrough comes two years and one day after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and sparked the war. Gaza has been almost entirely destroyed and more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America,” Trump wrote. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Trump told Fox News that the 20 living and 28 deceased Israeli hostages would “all be coming back,” probably on Monday. A U.S. official told Axios that the war in Gaza is over and the hostages will be released 72 hours after the Israeli Cabinet approves the deal, with the release expected to happen by Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared it “a great day for Israel” and said his Cabinet would convene Thursday to approve the agreement and “bring all our dear hostages home.”
Negotiations to finalize the deal took place in Egypt, with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner arriving Wednesday morning to represent the United States. Negotiators from Israel and Hamas and mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey also participated.
The deal is based on the 20-point plan Trump announced last week. Thorny issues such as the process for disarming Hamas and the future governing structure of Gaza still need to be negotiated in subsequent phases.
Israel has agreed to release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 Palestinians detained by the IDF in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the agreement. For every slain hostage released by Hamas, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Hamas fighters it is holding.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he plans to travel to Israel in the coming days.
“It’s a great day for Israel and for the world,” he said.
Hamas released a statement saying the war is over and thanking Trump and the other mediators. Majed al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, confirmed the deal Wednesday, writing on X that an agreement was reached on “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.”
Of the 251 hostages Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups took during the October 7 attack, 148 have been returned alive to Israel through previous ceasefires, releases, or IDF rescues. The bodies of 58 hostages were repatriated or recovered. Hamas has provided information on roughly 20 living hostages, Israeli officials told Channel 12. Israel believes 20 of the 48 remaining hostages are still alive, while 28 were killed while in the hands of the terrorists.
About 200 people gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square Wednesday night to celebrate the agreement. Former hostages who were held by Hamas and released as part of earlier ceasefire agreements joined the crowds, including Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, and Romi Gonen. Each time a former hostage arrived at the square, the crowd cheered.
Palestinian civilians in Gaza also celebrated the agreement, cautiously hoping it would bring an end to Israel’s military campaign in the besieged enclave.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties.
Trump had warned Hamas on Friday that it had until 6 p.m. Sunday to accept the ceasefire proposal.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hamas said Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, as long as “the field conditions for the exchange are met” and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on Trump’s plan.
The deal would represent the clearest foreign policy victory of Trump’s second term—the brokering of a peace agreement that proved elusive for his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated the agreement but said it must be “carefully implemented and followed through on.”
“This brings a huge sigh of relief to the hostage families, to all of Israel, and to Palestinians who have suffered for so long in this horrific humanitarian catastrophe,” Schumer said in a statement.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, a staunch defender of Israel, told reporters the development was “profound.”
“Two years’ war, I mean, that’s just, this is the first opportunity there could be enduring peace in the region,” Fetterman said.
Trump’s plan calls for Gaza to be governed under “the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.” It also includes “a process of demilitarization of Gaza … which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning.”
Trump thanked Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan as countries “that helped me put this together.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, welcomed Trump’s announcement and praised the president’s efforts to end the war.
“What matters to us now is the immediate commitment to a complete ceasefire, the release of all hostages and prisoners, the introduction of urgent humanitarian aid through United Nations organizations, ensuring no displacement or annexation, and starting the reconstruction process,” Abbas said in a statement.