Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, a long-awaited development that US President Donald Trump said could be a step toward ending the two-year war in Gaza.
President Trump, who helped broker the deal, said both sides had agreed to the first phase of the plan, which involves Israel withdrawing its troops to the agreed line. “Today is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, for Israel, for all of our neighbors, and for the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, thanking Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for brokering the agreement. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he added.
Details of the exchange and withdrawal line have not yet been disclosed. According to the New York Times, Israel’s initial statement made no mention of a troop withdrawal.
In a post on X, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump for their leadership in reaching the agreement. “I send a big hug to the families of the hostages as their loved ones, including IDF soldiers and fallen soldiers, are expected to return home,” Katz wrote. “The whole nation is waiting and excited.”
Qatar and Hamas said the agreement would also allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr. Majed Al-Ansari said the agreement “leads to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners of war, and the entry of aid,” adding further details would be announced at a later date.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement following Trump’s announcement that “all the hostages will be returned home” and called it “a great day for Israel.” He added that the government will hold a meeting to approve the agreement on Thursday. Meanwhile, Hamas called on President Trump and the other guarantors to “fully implement the requirements of the agreement and not tolerate[Israel’s]avoidance or delay.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all parties to fully comply with the terms of the Gaza agreement. He said the United Nations would support its implementation and increase aid provision to the enclave. “All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A durable ceasefire must be ensured,” Guterres said in a statement. “The fighting must cease once and for all. Immediate and unimpeded access to humanitarian and essential commercial supplies to Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end.”
In a separate interview with Reuters, President Trump said the hostage agreement for a ceasefire represented “a great day for the world.”
“The whole world came together for this day. Israel, all the nations came together. It was a great day,” he said. “It’s a great day for the world. It’s a great day. It’s a great day for everyone.”
The breakthrough came after several months of deadlocked negotiations. In late September, President Trump announced a 20-point proposal to end the war and release the remaining hostages. The plan called for the release of 250 Palestinians and 1,700 imprisoned Gazans serving life sentences during the conflict. Hostage releases could begin as early as this weekend, a person familiar with the talks told The New York Times.
Both sides have agreed to the exchange, but it remains unclear whether the deal will end the two-year war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long called on Hamas to disarm, but Hamas has publicly rejected those terms, and none of the statements released Wednesday made it clear whether disarmament was part of the deal.
President Trump gave Hamas until Sunday to accept the deal, warning that “more fighters will be killed” if it does not. Hamas said Friday it was ready to release all hostages, living and dead, but also said it was seeking to negotiate additional terms. The same night, President Trump said Hamas appeared “ready for a lasting peace” and called on Israel to halt its bombing campaign in Gaza.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Subsequent Israeli military operations have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including civilians and combatants, and destroyed the territory’s infrastructure.
Israel believes about 20 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip and continues to search for the bodies of about 25 others.
