Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to the first phase of a peace deal, first announced by President Trump, that would be a major step toward ending the bloody war in Gaza.
Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas have “signed off” on the first phase of a peace deal. Under the deal, Hamas will release all hostages, both dead and alive, “very soon,” and Israel will withdraw its troops back to a mutually agreed-upon line.
The president called the deal “the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting peace.”
“This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding nations and the United States of America and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen,” Mr. Trump wrote, adding that “all parties will be treated fairly.”
In a statement following Mr. Trump’s announcement, Hamas said it is “stipulating an end to the war on Gaza.”
Hamas called for Mr. Trump along with various Arab, Islamic and international parties to “compel” Israel to “fully implement the agreement’s requirements, including the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, increasing aid flowing into the enclave and a prisoner exchange.
“We will never abandon our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” the statement said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed an agreement to the first phase of a peace deal, calling it “a great day for Israel.” He said he will convene his government on Thursday to approve the agreement and “bring our deal hostages home.”
Mr. Netanyahu also thanked Mr. Trump for “this sacred mission of releasing our hostages.”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu talked on the phone after the first phase of the deal was reached and “congratulated each other on a historic achievement,” the Israeli leader’s office said in a statement.
Egyptian officials who mediated the talks said in a statement that Hamas would let the remaining living hostages go as soon as Sunday morning.
Relatives of hostages and former hostages hailed the news of the deal.
Eli Sharabi, whose wife and children were killed and whose brother’s body is being held by Hamas wrote on X, “Great joy, can’t wait to see everyone home.”
The mother of hostage Matan Zanguaker posted on X, “Matan returns home to me…to you, to the country. For these tears, I prayed.”
The exact terms of the agreement remain unclear, though under a 20-point peace plan put forth by Mr. Trump last week, Hamas would have to completely disarm in exchange for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza to come to an end. More humanitarian aid for Palestinians would be rushed into the enclave and plans to rebuild Gaza would begin.
Mr. Trump’s peace plan also included “amnesty” for any Hamas member who lays down arms and renounces the terrorist organization. They would be allowed to remain in Gaza or receive safe passage to another country.
Hamas would also be required to release 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 hostages who have died since being kidnapped from Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
In exchange, Israel would release 250 life-sentence Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gaza residents who were detained during the Jewish state’s counteroffensive into the Hamas-rukled enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the plan last week during a visit to the White House. Hamas appeared to agree with some of the original terms presented by Mr. Trump. But it also raised concerns over the weekend over the disarmament stipulation and concerns that Israel would resume its military assault on Gaza once the hostages are released.
The announcement comes the same day Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East adviser Jared Kushner arrived in Egypt to join the negotiations. Both men helped develop Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
Negotiations, which began Monday, were taking place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Egypt and Qatar also acting as mediators between Hamas and Israel.
Mr. Trump said earlier Wednesday that he may travel to the Middle East at the end of the week.
“We have a great team over there, great negotiators, and they’re unfortunately great negotiators on the other side, also. But it’s something I think that will happen, got a good chance of happening,” Mr. Trump said of a proposed peace deal. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually.”
When asked where he might be traveling, Mr. Trump said: “I’ll be going to Egypt, most likely, that’s where everybody is gathered right now.”
While Mr. Trump was speaking with reporters at the White House, Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed a note to him and spoke to him. After looking at the note, Mr. Trump said, “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.