Oct. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump announced online Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a deal to end the two-year-long war in Gaza and exchange hostages and prisoners.
Three hours before his post on Truth Social, Trump told reporters a deal was “very close” and he might travel to the Middle East this weekend.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, calling it “a great day for Israel,” said he will convene the government Thursday to ratify the agreement with Hamas and return the hostages from Gaza.
“With God’s help we will bring them all home,” Netanyahu said.
An Israeli source told CNN that the hostages are expected to be released on Saturday or Sunday.
Netanyahu’s office said he had a “very warm and emotional” conversation with Trump, who was praised for his leadership and actions. Netanyahu noted the “diplomatic success, and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” Trump posted about the negotiations in Egypt.
Hamas thanked the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
“We also value the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, who seek to bring about a definitive end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” the statement reads.
Hamas also urged mediators to have Israel “to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”
Sources told CBS only procedural issues remain. Once the deal is approved, hostages will be released within 48 hours.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote. “This means that 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. All Parties will be treated fairly!”
He added: “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.”
Earlier in the day, Trump’s lead negotiators, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, finished their first day of talks in Egypt with Israel, Hamas and other Arab partners.
Israel’s chief negotiator is Ron Dermer, who didn’t arrive at the talks until Wednesday.
They are seeking to end the war that began in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, after the militant Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people.
During a White House roundtable on Antifa, Trump was handed a note by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with the latest information.
“Our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well,” Trump said in the White House’s State Dining Room. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week. We’ll see, but there’s a very good chance that negotiations are going along very well.”
Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, has been in touch with the negotiators.
With a deal near, Rubio canceled a trip to France to meet with other foreign ministers.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi invited Trump to attend the signing ceremony.
And Netanyahu has invited Trump to address the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
“From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved,” Netanyahu posted on X. “Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point.I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages.”
On Sept. 29, Trump and Netanyahu agreed to a 20-point peace plan. On Friday, Hamas reacted positively to the plan.
Hamas would disarm and end control of Gaza. The area, which at one time had about 2.2 million Palestinians, would be governed temporarily by international trustees overseen by the U.S. and Arab allies. Hundreds of thousands have fled from the Gaza Strip and more than 67,000 have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry.
Hamas has opposed the oversight committee led by Trump, called a “Board of Peace.”
Trump said “other countries” in the Middle East will help reconstruct Gaza, but did not offer further details on which countries will be involved without offering details. He suggested that Iran will be “part of the whole peace situation.”
Iran and Israel were involved in a 12-day conflict in July, which Trump helped broker.
“Gaza, we believe, is going to be a much safer place, and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs, and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct, because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful and helping it stay peaceful.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming “more and more catastrophic,” the emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in the area told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
The plan calls for an exchange of hostages by Hamas and prisoners by Israel within 72 hours of an agreement.
In Gaza, Israel believes, are 20 live hostages and 28 dead. A total of 251 hostages were initially taken hostage with 148 returned alive to Israel in temporary cease-fires or rescued by the Israeli military.
The White House announced the plan to have the hostages released in a video posted on X that included comments from a family member.
“Today President Trump has done it,” Moshe Lavi, brother-in-law of Israeli hostage Omri Miran still held in Gaza, said. “He announced just now that our loved ones, the hostages are coming home.”
Lavi appears with Miran’s wife, Lishay, and family members of some other Israeli hostages.
“This marks an important and meaningful step toward bringing everyone back, yet our struggle is not over and will not end until the last hostage returns home,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement to CNN.
The forum’s website, Bring Them Home Now, shows it has been 733 days since hostages were kidnapped.
“These are the tears I prayed for,” Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said.
Warplanes were flying at low altitudes on Wednesday in Gaza City, Mohammad al-Jarou told CNN.
Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, directed the forces “to be ready for any scenario,” including the release of the hostages.
The IDF also stresses “it will continue to act to realize the goals of the war and to safeguard citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts.”
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