Israel army says preparing to pull back troops in Gaza as part of deal
The Israeli military said on Thursday it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire deal to free the remaining hostages.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the military said in a statement:
The [Israel Defense Forces] IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement.
As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are under way to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon.
Key events
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday welcomed the agreement to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza and commended the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
“Now, all parties must fully uphold the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released safely. A permanent ceasefire must be established. The suffering must end,” she posted on social media, adding that the EU would keep supporting aid deliveries to Gaza and stood ready to help with reconstruction.
In a post on X, she wrote:
I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by @POTUS.
I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye in achieving this breakthrough. Am also encouraged by the support of the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Now, all parties must fully uphold the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released safely. A permanent ceasefire must be established. The suffering must end.
The EU will continue to support the swift and safe delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. And when the time comes, we will be ready to help with recovery and reconstruction.
Today’s opportunity should be seized. It’s the opportunity to forge a credible political path toward lasting peace and security. A path firmly anchored in the two-state solution.
Israel army says preparing to pull back troops in Gaza as part of deal
The Israeli military said on Thursday it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire deal to free the remaining hostages.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the military said in a statement:
The [Israel Defense Forces] IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement.
As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are under way to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon.
Israel and Hamas’s agreement to the initial phases of a plan to end fighting in Gaza is “a very hopeful moment”, UK cabinet minister Pat McFadden has said.
According to the PA news agency, the work and pensions secretary said:
I think we’ve got more hope this morning than we’ve had for a long time.
He told Times Radio that US president Donald Trump will “deserve credit” for his role in the ceasefire plan but so did other mediators.
McFadden added:
I think he does deserve credit for this, I think the mediators deserve credit, and I think it opens up potentially big possibilities, not just as I say in the immediate few days, but for the longer term future.
And that takes us back to the 20-point plan that was released by the United States about a week ago, which has the support of the UK fovernment, as the prime minister made clear at our party conference last week.
So it’s a very hopeful moment, and as I say, let’s hope that the hostages are released in the next few days, and hope that the suffering of the people of Gaza can stop and we can get the humanitarian aid that’s needed and then rebuild from there.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has added her voice to the world leaders welcoming the Israel-Hamas deal, saying the agreement marks a significant breakthrough, Reuters is reporting.
Analysis: Gaza truce deal a crucial moment but devil is in the detail
Andrew Roth
For Donald Trump, a peace deal – or even a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – could be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.
The details and sequencing of a deal to end Israel’s war in Gaza remain murky, but the statement of purpose by both Israel and Hamas is meaningful. In agreeing to a deal with political backing from Arab states and other regional powers, this is the best chance for an end to the war since a ceasefire broke down in March returning Gaza to a grinding war.
Since March there have been rumblings of a deal but nothing that has come this close. The first phase of the plan is straightforward: the return of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a limited withdrawal by the Israeli military. But locating all the hostages, and managing an Israeli withdrawal, could be complicated.
There is so much left to be discussed. The 20-point peace plan proposed by the Trump administration attempts to thread the needle between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a lasting end to the war. The hard questions of Hamas’ future and whether the militant group will disarm, along with Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza, remain to be hammered out.
We have been here before. And yet, this is a crucial moment.
You can read the full analysis here:
Living hostages could reportedly be freed within 72 hours
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, Reuters reports.
Hamas officials have insisted it will take longer to recover the bodies of dead hostages – believed to number about 28 – from Gaza’s rubble.
Trump told Fox News the hostages would probably be released on Monday.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone and congratulated each other on an “historic achievement”, and the Israeli prime minister invited the US president to address Israel’s parliament, according to Netanyahu’s office.
Hamas said earlier on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of the hostages it held and the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that it wanted to be exchanged.
The Islamist group has so far refused to discuss Israel’s demand that Hamas give up its arms, which a Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.
Signs that an agreement on the Israel-Gaza war was near came shortly before Donald Trump’s announcement, earlier on Wednesday during a White House roundtable: that was when secretary of state Marco Rubio handed the president a handwritten note with the words “very close” underlined.
“You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” read the hand-scrawled note on White House stationery, the text of which was captured by a photographer.
As our full report on the deal also says, many of the agreement’s details reached after three days of indirect talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh remain unclear and challenges of implementing its terms are immense.
But in recent days, negotiators had closed gaps between Hamas and Israel over the details of the first phase of the plan Trump announced in the White House last week.
It was not immediately certain whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarise – as Trump has demanded – and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.
Click here for the full report from Jason Burke and agencies:
Kate Lamb
Rounds of celebratory gunfire rang into the night sky and people cried tears of joy and disbelief on Thursday as news of a peace deal reached those in devastated Gaza – and in Israel, where relatives have anxiously awaited the release of hostages detained since the war broke out two years ago.
“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” exclaimed Ahmed Sheheiber, a displaced Palestinian, crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City as he learned of the deal.
“I can’t believe the news,” said Ayman Saber, a resident of Khan Younis, a city in the Gaza Strip, while in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi people gathered to chant in unison “Allahu Akbar”, meaning God is greatest, and fire celebratory rounds into the air.
On the streets of Tel Aviv tearful families hugged, cheered, some popping champagne, as they learned of the news. “Matan is coming home. These are the tears I prayed for,” said one mother of an Israeli hostage detained in Gaza, as reported by Haaretz.
Click here for our full story:
Relatives of Israeli hostages who are currently residing in Washington DC have spoken over the phone with US president Donald Trump, who told them their loved ones were “all coming back on Monday”.
Here’s footage of how the call unfolded:
World leaders have expressed hope for peace and urged Israel and Hamas to fulfil their commitments in the hours after Donald Trump announced the agreement on the “first phase” of a ceasefire deal.
Here’s how some of the leaders responded, care of the Associated Press.
British prime minister Keir Starmer said the news was “a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world”. “We call on all parties to meet the commitments they have made, to end the war, and to build the foundations for a just and lasting end to the conflict and a sustainable path to a long-term peace.”
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said: “This development offers a semblance of hope after months of unbearable suffering and devastation.”
Argentine president Javier Milei posted on social media: “I want to take the opportunity to say that I will sign the candidacy of Donald J Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to international peace. Any other leader with similar achievements would have received it a long time ago,” the libertarian leader and Trump ally wrote.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney posted: “I am relieved that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families. After years of intense suffering, peace finally feels attainable.”
Australian PM Anthony Albanese described the agreement as a “ray of light”. It brought “hope that after eight decades of conflict and terror, we can break this cycle of violence and build something better”.
Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters: “This agreement is an important step toward de-escalating the situation and achieving the two-state solution.”
New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters said: “Over the past two years, both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely. Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”
With the Associated Press
United Nations secretary general António Guterres has welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement, describing it as a “desperately needed breakthrough” and calling on all parties to “abide fully” by its terms
Guterres said in a post on X:
All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once and for all. Immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end.
Guterres also said the UN would support the full implementation of the deal and “will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza”.
I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, leading to a two-state solution to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.
The stakes have never been higher.
Airstrikes hit Gaza after truce deal, say Palestinian authorities
Gaza’s civil defence agency has reported several strikes on the territory on Thursday after the announcement that Hamas and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire plan.
“Since the announcement last night of an agreement on a proposed ceasefire framework in Gaza, several explosions have been reported, particularly in areas of northern Gaza,” said one of the agency’s officials, Mohammed Al-Mughayyir.
He cited “a series of intense airstrikes” on Gaza City, Agence France-Presse reports.
Trump ‘very confident there’ll be peace’
Donald Trump has said the US will play a role in helping to rebuild Gaza and keep it safe and peaceful.
“We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful, and helping it stay peaceful,” the president told Fox News hours after he announced Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his peace plan.
Trump added that he was “very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East”, Agence France-Presse reported.
Celebrations have broken out in Israel and Gaza after Donald Trump’s announcement of the Israel-Hamas agreement.
Crowds gathered near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, clapping and cheering in what one Palestinian described as “historic moments” after two years of conflict.
The mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, Einav Zangauker, celebrated the imminent return of her son, saying: “Thank you to the people of Israel, to the soldiers, thank you to President Trump.”
You can see the footage here:
Summary
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza, bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict that has killed ten of thousands, destabilised much of the Middle East and prompted protests across the world.
Donald Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social network, saying all of the hostages held in Gaza would be released soon and Israel would withdraw troops to an agreed line as the first step to an “everlasting peace”.
In his Truth Social post – thanking mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey – Trump said: “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.”
Hamas said it had reached the agreement, confirming the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the territory and a hostage-prisoner exchange. The group said in a statement the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over Trump’s proposal.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the US “for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages” and said “with God’s help, we will bring them all home”. Netanyahu said he would convene the Israeli government on Thursday to approve the deal.
In recent days negotiators have been meeting in Egypt to close gaps between Hamas and Israel over the details of the “first phase” of a 20-point plan announced by Trump in the White House last week.
Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The deceased hostages will come out in a later stage in phases. The Israel army will move out of 70% of the area, they said. In exchange, several hundred Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released.
The Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organisation representing many of the hostage families, said it received the news of a ceasefire with “excitement, anticipation, and apprehension”. It called on the Israeli government to immediately convene to approve the deal, and praised Trump for his “commitment and determination that led to this historic breakthrough”.
A Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The agreement “will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” said Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the mediators of the deal. He said the details would be announced later.
World leaders have welcomed the development, with the British prime minister expressing “profound relief”.
It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarise – as Trump has demanded – and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.
