U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas.
鈥淚 am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,鈥� Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
鈥淭his 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,鈥� he continued.
鈥淎ll parties will be treated fairly! This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen,鈥� Trump added.
鈥淏lessed are the peacemakers!鈥�
Minutes earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office issued a brief statement saying, 鈥淲ith God鈥檚 help, we will bring them all home鈥濃�攁 reference to the 48 hostages still held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza who are expected to be released as part of the deal.
鈥淎 great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home,鈥� Netanyahu said in a subsequent statement.
鈥淚 thank the heroic IDF soldiers and all the security forces鈥攖hanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have reached this day. I thank from the bottom of my heart President Trump and his team for their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages,鈥� he continued.
鈥淲ith God鈥檚 help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors,鈥� added Netanyahu.
Danny Danon, Israel鈥檚 envoy to the U.N., tweeted on Wednesday that, 鈥淭he entire nation of Israel has been waiting for two years for the hostages to return home, as they remain in inhumane conditions at the hands of a cruel enemy.
鈥淲e thank President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu for their determination, courage, and perseverance. We will not forget the bravery and sacrifice of the IDF soldiers and security forces who acted with endless dedication to bring the hostages home,鈥� he added.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum Headquarters welcomed the agreement, calling it 鈥渁n important and significant step toward the return of everyone.鈥�
The group urged the Israeli Cabinet to convene immediately to approve the deal, warning that any delay could carry a heavy price.
鈥淭he families of the hostages wish to express their deep gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump and his team for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough鈥攖he end of the war and a comprehensive agreement for the return of all the hostages,鈥� the statement said.
鈥淭here are 48 hostages still held by Hamas. Our moral and national duty is to bring them all home鈥攂oth the living and the fallen. Their return is essential for the healing and renewal of Israeli society as a whole. We will not rest, and we will not be silent until the last hostage is home. We will bring them back. We will rise,鈥� added the forum.
Earlier on Wednesday, dispatched envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to join the talks on ending the war, as Hamas pressed new demands not part of the original agreement Israel accepted.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister聽聽was also slated to join the talks in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, along with Qatari Prime Minister聽Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a聽20-point 聽to end the聽war in Gaza, sparked by the of 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Earlier this week, families of hostages sent an urgent letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, calling on the body to award the to Trump for his efforts to broker peace in the Middle East.
