Trump says Israel, Hamas have reached deal on first phase of peace plan

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, President Trump announced Wednesday night, bringing hope that the war in Gaza, which has raged for two years, is close to ending.

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.” 

Before Mr. Trump’s announcement, Hamas issued a statement saying “a spirit of optimism prevails among all.” The Islamist militant group also said it submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for Israeli hostages under the U.S. plan.

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.”