DONALD Trump has announced a breakthrough peace deal between Israel and Hamas after two years of brutal war in Gaza.
The US president declared that both sides have signed off on the first phase of his administration’s Middle East plan.
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Trump hailed as a “GREAT Day” for the region and the world.
In a post on Truth Social, he said the agreement would lead to the release of all hostages “very soon” and a withdrawal of Israeli troops “to an agreed upon line” as the first steps toward what he called a “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote.
“All Parties will be treated fairly! 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.
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement, saying: “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”
“I thank the heroic soldiers of the IDF and all the security forces, thanks to whose courage and sacrifice we have reached this day,” he said.
“I thank from the depths of my heart President Trump and his team for their mobilisation for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages.
“With the help of the Almighty, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbours.”
Hamas also issued a statement after agreeing to the deal, saying it accepted the proposal “with the aim of reaching an end to the war of extermination against our Palestinian people and the occupation’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”
The terror group added: “We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediating brothers in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
“We also value the efforts of US 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.”
Hamas called on Trump and other nations to “compel the occupation government to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”
Families of those still held in Gaza also hailed the announcement as a “historic breakthrough”.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said they welcomed the news “with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and concern.”
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“The Hostages Families Forum welcomes the signing of this agreement, designed to bring all the hostages home — the living for rehabilitation with their families, and the deceased for proper burial in their homeland,” the group said.
“This represents important and meaningful progress toward bringing everyone home, but our struggle is not over and will not end until the last hostage returns.”
They thanked Trump and his team “for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough: an end to the war and a comprehensive agreement to return all the hostages,” and urged the Israeli government to approve the deal without delay.
“There are 48 hostages held by Hamas. Our moral and national obligation is to bring them all home — both the living and the deceased,” they said.
“Their return is essential to the healing and recovery of Israeli society as a whole. We will not rest until the last hostage comes home.”
Trump’s 20-point peace plan in full
- 1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone
- 2. Gaza will be redeveloped
- 3. The war will immediately end
- 4. Within 72 hours, all hostages will be returned
- 5. Israel will release 250 dangerous prisoners plus 1700 Gazans detained after Oct 7th
- 6. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage
- 7. Full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip
- 8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference
- 9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee
- 10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created
- 11. A special economic zone will be established
- 12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza
- 13. Hamas agrees to not have any role in the governance of Gaza
- 14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas comply with obligations
- 15. The US will work to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza
- 16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza
- 17. If Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, Israel can proceed with invasion
- 18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established
- 19. Credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood can begin
- 20. The US will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians for peaceful and prosperous co-existence
The deal marks a historic turning point in the two-year Gaza war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated the enclave.
According to diplomats, the signing follows days of marathon negotiations in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where US, Israeli, Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators hammered out the final details.
The 20-point Trump plan, long dismissed as wishful thinking, now appears to be edging toward reality.
It calls for a Gaza ceasefire, the release of all hostages, Israeli troop withdrawal and Hamas disarmament and exclusion from future governance.
It also sees the creation of a Trump-led international body to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and transition to new Palestinian administration.
Trump earlier indicated he’s poised to travel to the Middle East in the coming days.
The president said negotiations were “going very well” — and hinted he could fly out this weekend.
“I may go there,” he told reporters earlier on Wednesday at the White House, suggesting a trip on Sunday — “perhaps Saturday evening” — as he described talks as “very close.”
“It’s something I think that will happen, got a good chance of happening,” he said at the start of the White House event after he was briefed by his team in Egypt.
While Trump struck a triumphant note before the announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had offered a cooler assessment.
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“Events are moving in a good direction, but there’s still some work to be done,” Rubio told reporters.
“We’ve been here before in the past and been disappointed.”
Rubio was earlier seen handing Trump a letter regarding the Gaza-Israel deal during the White House presser.
Close-up pictures of the note revealed the message: “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
The stakes in Gaza
The war that erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 cross-border attack has left Gaza in ruins.
More than 67,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza authorities.
Israel says 1,200 were killed and 251 taken hostage in the Hamas assault.
And only 20 of the 48 remaining captives are believed to be alive.
Israeli forces, at Trump’s urging, have scaled back operations in Gaza but not halted them entirely.
Gaza’s health officials reported eight people killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours — the lowest toll in weeks.
“We hope from God that a ceasefire would take place as soon as possible, because people can’t bear the suffering anymore,” said Jehad al-Shagnobi, whose home was destroyed in Gaza City’s Sabra district.
What comes next?
Even as Trump announced the ceasefire, the question of Gaza’s future looms.
Trump’s plan calls for an international body — led by the president himself and including ex–British Prime Minister Tony Blair — to oversee Gaza’s post-war administration.
Arab states backing the plan insist it must lead to an independent Palestinian state — something Benjamin Netanyahu flatly rejects.
Hamas, for its part, says it would surrender control of Gaza only to a technocratic Palestinian government under the Palestinian Authority, supported by Arab and Muslim nations — and rejects any foreign role, including Blair’s.
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