Palestinians celebrate following the news that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, in this screengrab obtained from a video released on Oct. 9, 2025. (Credit: Reuters)
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited cease-fire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
The signing of the agreement on the first stage of Trump's plan is expected to take place at 12 p.m. Israel time (0900 GMT), a source briefed on the details of the agreement told Reuters on Thursday.
Israel has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave in a war that has reshaped global politics.
Indirect talks in Egypt on Wednesday yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework.
The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, deepened Israel's international isolation and reshaped the Middle East.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump said on Truth Social.
"This means that ALL 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," Trump added.
Israeli hostages may be released as early as Saturday under a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza and the country's military will complete the first part of a partial withdrawal from the enclave within 24 hours of the deal being signed, said a source briefed on details of the agreement.
Successful completion of the deal would mark a significant foreign policy achievement for the Republican president, who had campaigned on bringing peace to major world conflicts but has struggled to swiftly deliver, both in Gaza and on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government on Thursday to approve the agreement.
"With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home," he said in a statement. "This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel."
Hamas confirmed it had reached an agreement to end the war, saying the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange.
"We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge, never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence and self-determination are achieved," Hamas said.
Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave has been destroyed by Israeli attacks.
Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.
Celebrations broke out in Gaza and Israel after the announcement.
“Thank God for the cease-fire, the end of bloodshed and killing," said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. "I am not the only one happy, all of Gaza is happy, all the Arab people, all the world is happy with the cease-fire and the end of bloodshed."
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gathered in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after the announcement.
"President Trump, thank you very much. We thank him; our children will not have returned home without him," said Hatan Angrest, whose son Matan is among the hostages.
A Hamas source said the living hostages would be handed over within 72 hours of the Israeli government approving the deal. Hamas officials have insisted it will take longer to recover the bodies of dead hostages, believed to be 28 bodies, from Gaza’s rubble.
Trump told Fox News' Hannity program on Wednesday that the hostages will probably be released on Monday.
The Israeli military warned residents in Gaza that some areas are still dangerous combat zones. Its forces continue to encircle Gaza City, and returning there remains "extremely dangerous," a military spokesperson said on Thursday in a statement following the cease-fire announcement.
Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone and congratulated each other on a "historic achievement," and the prime minister invited the U.S president to address Israel’s parliament, according to Netanyahu's office.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for all sides to abide fully by the terms of the agreement. “Immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end,” he said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Hamas listed the prisoners held by Israel whose release it is seeking in exchange for freeing all remaining hostages.
Hamas has so far refused to discuss Israel's demand that the group give up its arms, which the Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.
Arab countries say plan must lead to Palestinian state
The next phase of Trump's plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza's post-war administration. Arab countries, which back the plan, say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.
There is no clear indication who will rule Gaza when the war ends. Netanyahu, Trump, Western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has run Gaza since the 2007 elections.
Hamas has said it would relinquish Gaza governance only to a Palestinian technocrat government supervised by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries. It rejects any role for Blair or foreign rule of Gaza.
Global outrage has mounted against Israel's war. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide.
