Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan
The accord, reached after the war’s second anniversary, sets the stage for a ceasefire and the release of living hostages
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave.
The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, deepened Israel’s international isolation and reshaped the Middle East.
News of the deal prompted celebrations in Israel, Gaza and beyond, with Israeli families of hostages letting off fireworks, while Palestinians clapped and cheered in hopes of an end to the bloodshed.
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But the agreement announced by Trump late on Wednesday was short on detail and left many unresolved questions that could yet lead to its collapse, as has happened with previous peace efforts.