Israel, Hamas sign off 1st phase of Gaza peace plan: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, reported Xinhua.

"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," Trump wrote.

He thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for the "historic and unprecedented event."

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day at the White House, Trump said he may travel to the Middle East "sometime toward the end of the week."

Israel and Hamas began indirect negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and carry out a prisoner exchange.

Earlier, the mediators in the Israel-Hamas talks said that an agreement covering all provisions and implementation mechanisms related to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal has been reached and a final draft of the agreement is underway, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV reported Thursday, said Xinhua.

The deal will lead to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave, "with further details to be announced later," said the report.

The announcement came following three days of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt's resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to negotiate a peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the talks involved delegations from the United States, Qatar and Türkiye, besides those of Hamas and Israel.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh were "progressing positively."

Trump's Gaza peace plan proposes a ceasefire, a phased Israeli withdrawal and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000 others, causing massive destruction to infrastructure and worsening humanitarian conditions, according to Gaza's health authorities.