Trump says Israel & Hamas 'signed off' on first phase of his Gaza peace plan, Netanyahu awaits govt's nod

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the “first phase” of his Gaza peace plan, which would entail a ceasefire in the Gaza war and an exchange of captives. Trump took to TruthSocial to announce the milestone in the Cairo talks.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” the US president wrote in the post on Wednesday. “ALL the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed-upon line,” he added.

Meanwhile, mediators from Qatar also confirmed the agreement from both sides and maintained that more details of the initial agreement would be announced later in the day.

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“The mediators announce that tonight an agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid. The details will be announced later,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari wrote on X.

Trump may travel to the Middle East

The announcement from the American leader came hours after he said that negotiations were going “very well” and that he may travel to the Middle East later this week. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Senior officials from Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and the US joined the delegations in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, for the third day of the Cairo talks. The mediators continued to press both sides to resolve their differences over Trump’s 20-point proposal.

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According to Al Jazeera, the first phase, which has likely been agreed by both sides, calls for a ceasefire and the release of 48 Israeli captives held in Gaza, including 20 who are believed to be alive. In exchange for this, Israel would have to release Palestinian prisoners they have held for years. Hamas has already submitted its list of detainees it is demanding to be freed in the proposed swap.

Netanyahu would now have to convince his government

After Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will convene the country's government on Thursday to ratify the agreement with Hamas and return the hostages from Gaza. He called this “a great day for Israel” and said the country could continue to achieve its goals and expand peace with its neighbours.

It is pertinent to note that according to Israeli law, any decision to release Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage deal must first be approved by the government. If the cabinet votes in favour of the deal, there is then a short window for petitions to be filed before Israel’s High Court of Justice to challenge the releases.

The Israeli government can only proceed with the releases after these hurdles are clear. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office revealed that the Israeli prime minister just held a “very warm and emotional” conversation with Trump.

As per the statement, the Israeli premier thanked Trump for his efforts and invited him to address the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. Trump, on the other hand, congratulated Netanyahu for his leadership and actions, according to the prime minister’s office.