Israel, Hamas officially confirm deal to end Gaza conflict, ceasefire to take effect after Israeli ratification

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamason Thursday officially confirmed a landmark agreement to implement a ceasefire and facilitate the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

This marks the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the prolonged conflict in Gaza.

The deal, confirmed by officials from both sides following indirect negotiations in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, brings hope to Israelis and Palestinians alike after more than two years of devastating war, which has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives.

Under the agreement, hostilities will cease, Israel will begin a partial military withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas will release all remaining hostages captured during its deadly attacks that ignited the war. In return, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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The agreement also allows humanitarian aid convoys carrying food and medical supplies to enter Gaza, offering relief to hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced after Israeli forces destroyed homes and razed cities.

The ceasefire will officially take effect once Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government ratifies the deal, with a security cabinet meeting scheduled for later Thursday.

Despite the breakthrough, significant challenges remain. A Palestinian source indicated that the final list of prisoners to be released has yet to be agreed upon, with Hamas demanding the freedom of prominent Palestinian detainees as well as hundreds arrested during the conflict.

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Further aspects of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, including governance of Gaza post-conflict and Hamas’s disarmament, remain unresolved. Hamas has so far rejected calls to relinquish its weapons.

Nonetheless, the announcement of an end to fighting and the return of hostages was met with widespread jubilation across Gaza and Israel, offering a glimmer of hope after years of bloodshed.

‘All of the Gaza strip is happy’

“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”

Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is one of the last hostages, rejoiced in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that triggered the war two years ago have gathered to demand their return.

“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.

An Israeli government spokeswoman, confirming the deal had been signed, said the ceasefire would go into force within 24 hours of the cabinet meeting. After that 24-hour period, the hostages held in Gaza will be freed within 72 hours, she said.

A source briefed on details of the agreement said earlier that Israeli troops would begin pulling back within 24 hours.

An Israeli official said all 20 Israeli hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza after being seized by Hamas in Israel in October 2023 would be freed within days. Twenty-six other hostages have been declared dead in absentia, and the fate of two others is unknown. Hamas has indicated that recovering their bodies may take longer.

Trump appeared likely to head to Israel around the time the hostages are due to come home, with a note from Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office saying his agenda for Sunday had been cleared in anticipation of a visit by the U.S. leader.

Strikes continue

With the ceasefire yet to take effect, Israeli strikes on Gaza continued, although at a slower tempo than before the talks began at the start of this week.

The Gaza health ministry said at least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours, far below the scores killed daily in recent weeks during one of the war’s biggest Israeli offensives, an all-out assault on Gaza City.

The deal received a support from Arab and Western countries and was widely portrayed as a major diplomatic achievement for Trump, who cast it as a first step towards reconciliation in the wider Middle East.

“All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” he wrote on social media. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Western and Arab countries were meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss an international peacekeeping force and reconstruction assistance for Gaza once the fighting stops.

Netanyahu called the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel has an interest in expanding the circle of peace and normalisation in the Middle East.

But far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have long opposed any deal with Hamas. One, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said Hamas must be destroyed once the hostages are returned. He would not vote in favour of the deal, although he stopped short of threatening to bring down the government.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led militants stormed through Israeli towns and a music festival on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.

With inputs from agencies