US President Donald Trump announced late on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the “first phase” of his plan to secure the release of all hostages and end the Gaza war, two years and a day after the fighting was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.
“This means that ALL of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw [its] troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He later hailed the accord as “a great day for the world,” saying, “The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day… a wonderful day for everybody.”
Trump told Fox News that all the hostages would probably be released on Monday. “We think they will all be coming back on Monday… and that will include the bodies of the dead,” he said. “They [the hostages] are in a terrible situation there. They are deep, deep in the earth. As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed.”
Two sources familiar with the negotiations earlier told The Times of Israel that Hamas would release all the remaining living hostages on Saturday. Twenty of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to be alive. All slain hostages that Hamas is able to locate are also to be released.
The deal will be formally signed on Thursday in Egypt, the sources said, adding that the biggest issues in the Gaza talks have been resolved and what remains to be finalized is merely procedural.
Trump is set to head to the region this weekend. Invited by Netanyahu to address the Knesset, in a phone call they held some two hours after he announced the deal, the president indicated he would do so.
“All parties will be treated fairly!” Trump stressed on Truth Social, in a message widely understood to be directed at Hamas, which has sought guarantees from the American leader that he will not allow Israel to resume the war once the hostages are released.
