In a breakthrough that could mark the beginning of the end to two years of devastating conflict, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, raising hopes for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
According to sources quoted by the BBC, the deal includes a mutual exchange of captives and prisoners — Hamas will release 20 Israeli hostages still alive, while Israel will free nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and withdraw its troops to a mutually agreed line inside Gaza.
The agreement, brokered after three days of indirect talks in Egypt, represents the initial stage of a 20-point peace framework proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump in late September. The plan also envisions the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, large-scale humanitarian aid delivery, and the eventual establishment of an internationally supervised transitional government for Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the development as “a great day for Israel”, announcing that his cabinet will meet Thursday to approve the deal. If endorsed, a ceasefire will take immediate effect, and 400 aid trucks per day will be allowed into Gaza during the initial five days, with numbers increasing later.
Hamas confirmed that the plan includes Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of Gaza and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, urging the U.S. administration to ensure Israeli compliance.
A senior White House official told CBS News that the troop withdrawal could be completed within 24 hours, after which Hamas will have 72 hours to release hostages captured during its October 7, 2023 attack.
The tentative deal, though significant, is not a comprehensive peace agreement. Key political questions — including the future governance of Gaza, disarmament of Hamas, and the role of the Palestinian Authority — remain unresolved. Trump’s proposal reportedly envisions an internationally led transitional authority, co-supervised by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, with Hamas excluded from power.
Both Netanyahu and Trump described the deal as a “historic achievement”, exchanging congratulations in what Israeli officials called a “moving” phone call. Trump later told Fox News the accord could “usher in a different world.”
Celebrations erupted in Israel and Gaza as the news broke. In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, families of captives cheered and set off fireworks, while in Gaza, residents poured into the streets, expressing cautious relief after years of devastation.
Dr. Mousa, a physician in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, told the BBC, “We have lost everything during these two years of war. Gaza is in ruins — but for the first time, we have a little hope that peace might return.”
The conflict, which began with Hamas’s October 2023 assault that killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages, has since claimed over 67,000 lives in Gaza, including more than 20,000 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures verified by the UN.
Despite skepticism over the plan’s long-term success, diplomats believe the agreement marks the first genuine step toward ending one of the deadliest chapters in the region’s history.
