Closing summary
We’re about to close this file and move our live coverage to another blog here. A recap of today’s events is below, and you can see our full report here. Thanks for reading.
Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza.
The US president thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, saying in a post on his Truth Social platform: “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 militant group said 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 that “with God’s help, we will bring them all home”. He said he would convene the Israeli government on Thursday to approve the deal.
Negotiators have been meeting in Egypt in recent days to close the gaps between Hamas and Israel over the details of the “first phase” of a 20-point plan announced by Trump at the White House last week.
The Hostages Families Forum, representing many of the hostage families, said it received the ceasefire news 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”.
UN chief António Guterres welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement, calling on all parties to “abide fully” by its terms. World leaders also hailed the deal, with British prime minister Keir Starmer speaking of his “profound relief” at the news, Canadian PM Mark Carney expressing relief that hostages will soon be reunited with their families and Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi welcoming the agreement as a “major step” toward achieving a two-state settlement.
Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The deceased hostages would come out in a later stage in phases. The Israeli army would move out of 70% of the area, they said. In exchange, several hundred Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released.
Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. The deal “will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”, ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said, speaking on behalf of the deal’s mediators. He said the details would be announced later.
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.
Trump said earlier that a deal was almost done and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday.
The war began with Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.
With reporting from Ima Caldwell
Updated
Celebrations have broken out in Israel and Gaza after Donald Trump’s announcement that 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.
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:
