ISRAEL AND HAMAS REACH CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT: Trump Announces Release of Hostages and Withdrawal from Gaza!

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the “first phase” of his peace plan for a cessation of fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages and prisoners.

“This means that all hostages will be released very quickly, and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed-upon line as first steps towards a strong, lasting, and eternal peace,” Trump wrote on social media.

Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin withdrawing from most of Gaza, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on social media: “With God’s help, we will bring them all home.”

Hamas separately said that the agreement would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops, as well as allow for the entry of aid and the exchange of hostages and prisoners, the agency states.

Hamas noted in a statement that the agreement would lead to an end to the war in Gaza and Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. The militant group called on Mr. Trump and others to force Israel “to fully implement the obligations of the agreement.” Hamas and Qatar, one of the mediating countries in the negotiations, also highlighted in their statements that the agreement would allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

However, the details of the hostage-for-prisoner exchange and the lines of the Israeli withdrawal are not clear. Israel did not mention the withdrawal of troops in its initial statements. While Netanyahu said all Israeli hostages would be returned home, he did not provide other details.

The war in Gaza began in October 2023 when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people. Approximately 250 hostages were taken during the attack. The Israeli military has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including civilians and combatants, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and has devastated the territory’s infrastructure.

An official familiar with the details of the agreement, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the diplomacy, said that all living hostages, believed to number around 20, are expected to be released at once, likely on Sunday. The remains of up to 28 hostages will be returned in phases, the official stated.

Nevertheless, it is not certain that the war will actually end. Hamas has publicly rejected Netanyahu’s demand to disarm, and there was no mention of the group’s weapons in the statements from Israel, Qatar, the United States, or Hamas itself.

“All Hostages Are Coming Home on Monday”

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the families of the abducted Israelis and told them that the hostages would be returning home on Monday.

During a phone conversation with the families of the Israeli hostages, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that all hostages in Gaza would be released on Monday.

Trump, who mediated the latest peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, said in an interview with Fox News that he believes all hostages from Gaza, including the bodies of the deceased, would be returned on Monday, after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement.

In a video of the conversation published on the X network, the families can be heard expressing deep gratitude to Trump for his efforts in achieving the truce and the release of the captives.

“All the hostages are coming home on Monday,” the U.S. President said, as those present reacted with applause and shouts of approval.

Gaza Civil Defence: Several Israeli Attacks Following Ceasefire Announcement

The Gaza Civil Defence reported several Israeli attacks this morning, following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas the previous night.

“Since last night’s announcement of the proposed ceasefire framework agreement, several explosions have been reported, particularly in the northern part of the Gaza Strip,” said Civil Defence official Mohamed Al-Mughayir, citing intense airstrikes on Gaza City.

He did not specify whether there were any casualties in the attack.

What is Known About the Israel-Hamas Agreement

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports what is known about the agreement, which is expected to be formally signed in Egypt today, where indirect negotiations, mediated by Egypt, the U.S., and Qatar, began on Monday.

First Phase

The agreement between the two warring parties, first announced by Trump, covers, according to Qatar, all “provisions and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will lead to the end of the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Hamas also published this agreement, which it said “provides for the end of the war in Gaza.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that he would convene a meeting of his cabinet today to approve the agreement.

The agreement could be signed as early as today in Egypt, sources close to the negotiations told AFP.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi invited Trump to “attend its signing.”

Hostages and Aid

Weapons will have to fall silent upon the signing of the agreement.

The Israeli military announced this morning that it is preparing to receive the hostages, but also to face “all scenarios.”

Hamas will release all 20 living hostages at once (out of 47 still believed to be in Gaza), a Hamas official told AFP.

They will be exchanged for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees—250 serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the start of the war, according to that source.

The agreement stipulates that the exchange will take place within 72 hours of the signing.

Trump said he believes all hostages, living and dead, will be “returned on Monday.”

“With God’s help, we will bring them all home,” Netanyahu said.

In addition, at least 400 trucks of humanitarian aid will enter the Gaza Strip daily during the first five days of the truce, and that number will increase in the following days, according to the Hamas source.

The agreement also provides for the “immediate return of displaced persons from the southern part of the Gaza Strip to Gaza City and the north,” the Hamas source said.

The Israeli military called on the population not to attempt to return to these areas at this stage.

Phased Withdrawal of Israeli Forces

According to Donald Trump, the agreement stipulates that Israel “withdraw its forces to an agreed-upon line” within the enclave.

An unnamed senior Hamas official said the agreement provides for a “scheduled withdrawal” of Israeli forces.

Hamas called on “President Trump and the guarantor countries of the agreement to force (Israel) to fully implement the terms of the agreement and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what was agreed upon.”

The U.S. will be “involved in maintaining peace” in the Gaza Strip, Trump promised in a statement to the American channel Fox News.

The Gaza Civil Defence announced that the Israeli military continued its deadly bombardments during the negotiations in Egypt.

Hamas did not mention its own disarmament or the fate of its fighters, which are key points of the proposal.

Next Step

A Hamas official said that negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire will begin immediately after the signing of the first phase of the agreement, which is expected today.

Israel has not commented on that issue.