United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have “both signed off” on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza.
“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 said in a social media post. “All parties will be treated fairly.”
The announcement came after three days of indirect talks in Egypt, mediated by officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States, aimed at ending the conflict.
Confirming the development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media that “with the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home”.
“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel,” he said.
With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.
From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals…
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 8, 2025 Hours later, the Israeli Defense Force said they were preparing to partially pull back troops in the Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire deal.
“As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon,” the statement said. “The IDF continues to be deployed in the area and prepared for any operational development.”
Following the political echelon’s instructions and due to the situational assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement. As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 9, 2025 Hamas said the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the entry of humanitarian aid and the exchange of hostages and prisoners, the Associated Press reported.
The group said that the agreement came after “responsible and serious negotiations”on Trump’s proposal. It urged the US president and the mediators to ensure Israel implements all the agreed-upon provisions without delay or changes, the news agency reported.
The first phase of the plan includes a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Al Jazeera reported.
There has been no update on matters concerning disarmament, the governance of Gaza or whether Hamas will demilitarise, as Trump had demanded in his 20-point peace deal.
Even as talks progressed on Wednesday, Israel continued its attacks on Gaza. At least eight Palestinians were killed and 61 injured in the past 24 hours, Al Jazeera quoted the Palestinian Health Ministry as saying.
Israeli fighter jets on Thursday morning bombed the western part of Gaza City and its ground forces detonated an armoured vehicle near homes in the Sabra neighbourhood, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on besieged Gaza since then, leaving more than 67,000 persons dead.
In August, the United Nations formally declared a famine in northern Gaza. In September, a commission of inquiry set up by the United Nations said that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel called the report “distorted and false”, and demanded that the commission be immediately abolished.
Israel and Hamas had been holding ceasefire talks since July. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to disagreements between the two sides.
Trump’s proposal
The peace plan announced by Trump on September 29 entails Israeli forces partially withdrawing from Gaza to prepare for hostages to be released.
Within 72 hours of Israel accepting the proposal, Hamas would have to return all hostages, whether alive or dead. Subsequently, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners undergoing life terms, as well as 1,700 Gaza residents who were detained after the conflict began.
Members of Hamas who “commit to peaceful coexistence” and agree to lay down arms will be given amnesty. Hamas members who want to leave Gaza will be given safe passage to receiving countries, as per the proposal.
The White House said that Israel will not annex Gaza and no one will be forced to leave the region.
The proposal also envisions a “Board of Peace” comprising international overseers led by Trump himself. The board will include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, although the proposal has not yet specified his role.
Gaza will be governed by a temporary “technocratic, apolitical” committee comprising Palestinians and global experts and the “Board of Peace” will oversee the committee’s functioning.
The proposal will require Hamas to have no direct or indirect role in governing Gaza.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also welcomed the agreement on the first phase of Trump’s peace plan. “This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of [Israeli] PM Netanyahu,” Modi said on social media.
“We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace,” he added.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday welcomed the announcement and said that the organisation will support the full implementation of the agreement.
The UN will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, he added.
“I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement,” Guterres said in a social media post. “All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once and for all.”
Also read: With its silence on Palestinian statehood, US proposal deceives rather than bringing peace
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