Israel's government approves first phase of Trump's Gaza plan, ceasefire to take effect in 24 hours

In a landmark event, the Israeli Cabinet has approved the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire proposal, which Hamas agreed on Thursday. The deal proposed by US President Donald Trump would entail the release of all 48 hostages, including 20 alive ones held in Gaza, along with a ceasefire in the coastal enclave.

The news was confirmed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Friday. “The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages — the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to the first phase of the deal, the ceasefire is expected to take effect within 24 hours of approval from both parties.

The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2025

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that both Hamas and Israeli negotiators have agreed upon the first phase of the ceasefire deal during the Cairo talks on Thursday. Trump also maintained that he plans to travel to Egypt for the official signing of the deal between the two sides, confirming that all hostages would be released by “Monday” or “Tuesday”.

The questions still remain

While the first phase of the deal being approved led to celebrations in both Gaza and Tel Aviv, huge questions remain about whether Trump’s 20-point plan can successfully resolve the long-term future of the Gaza Strip. There have been uncertainties over its directives for Hamas to disarm, as well as to let go of its governance over the Strip.

A spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a ceasefire would then take effect 24 hours after the Cabinet had agreed on the deal, and hostages would be released after 72 hours. Reports are also emerging that the US military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 American troops to Israel to support the stabilisation process on both sides and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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According to the two officials close to the matter, the US troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning. “They will not be in Gaza. No US boots on the ground in Gaza,” one of the officials said.

While both sides embraced Trump’s deal, explosions were still reported in southern Gaza on Thursday. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that the two sides had taken the “first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace,” calling it “a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America.”

Netanyahu thanks Trump

After getting the approval from his Cabinet, the Israeli Prime Minister called the deal a ‘momentous development’, thanking Trump. In a video message to the American leader, Netanyahu said that the Jewish nation has reached a pivotal moment in its war in Gaza.

“In the last two years, we’ve fought to achieve our war aims. And a central one of these war aims is to return the hostages. All of the hostages, the living and the dead. And we’re about to achieve that. We couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner. They worked tirelessly,” Netanyahu said in the video message.

WATCH: Remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the government meeting for the approval of the hostages release framework, together with President Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, @SteveWitkoff, and with the President's son-in-law, @JaredKushner. pic.twitter.com/zMALibPcEY

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2025

“That, and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, had a combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I believe these brought us to this point,” he added. The Israeli premier went on to express his personal regards to Witkoff and Kushner, saying the pair had put forward both “your brains and your hearts”. “We know that it’s for the benefit of Israel and the US, for the benefit of decent people everywhere,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, rejoiced at the news in a rare interview with an Israeli network on Thursday. He expressed hope that peace would prevail between Palestinians and Israelis following the signing of a Gaza ceasefire agreement. “What happened today is a historic moment. We have been hoping – and continue to hope – that we can bring an end to the bloodshed taking place in our land, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem,” Abbas said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.

“Today, we are very happy that the bloodshed has ceased. We hope it remains this way, and that peace, security, and stability will prevail between us and Israel,” he added. When asked whether the Palestinian Authority had implemented the reforms mentioned in the 20-point plan, Abbas said that the reform process was already underway.

“I want to say honestly – we have launched reforms,” he said. It is pertinent to note that Trump, along with other international leaders and organisations, has urged Abbas to reform the Palestinian Authority to ensure stability in the future.