U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 8 that Israel and the terrorist group Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners.
The announcement comes two years after the Oct. 7 attack, in which Hamas-led terrorists killed about 1,200 people and seized 251 hostages in southern Israel, triggering Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Here is what to know about the progress of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
What Is Agreed
After three days of indirect talks between Israeli and Hamas officials in Egypt, Trump said that both sides have signed off on the first phase of the 20-point peace plan.
“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 said.
Israel says that Hamas is still holding 48 hostages in the enclave.
Hamas said the agreement includes an Israeli pullback from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange.
What Comes Next
The Israeli government is set to meet on Thursday to approve the agreement. Netanyahu’s office said that a ceasefire will not come into effect until the deal is ratified by the Israeli lawmakers.
According to the deal, if both sides agree to this proposal, Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release.
During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned. During a Wednesday evening interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said he expects the hostages to be released sometime on Monday.
The agreement will end the war and allow aid into Gaza, with full details to be announced later, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on Wednesday.
Trump’s plan says that once the agreement is accepted, aid would enter Gaza immediately at levels set in the Jan. 19, 2025, deal, including infrastructure and hospital repairs and rubble clearance.
Distribution would be overseen by the U.N., Red Crescent, and other bodies, with the Rafah crossing operating under the same earlier mechanism.
What Remains Unknown
The announcements cover only part of the 20-point peace plan. Key details, including how Hamas’s disarmament will be carried out, remain unclear.
The plan envisions Gaza first being run by a neutral Palestinian committee providing basic services, before eventually being handed to the Palestinian Authority (PA), alongside a new development program for reconstruction. Hamas and other groups are to have no role in governance.
Trump said that a “council of peace” would be formed to oversee the postwar transition and reconstruction.
“People are going to be taken care of. It’s going to be a different world,” Trump told Hannity. “I think, really, the Middle East came together.”
Reactions to Gaza’s future leadership are divided.
Netanyahu has rejected any PA role without “fundamental, genuine, and enduring transformation.” Mardawi said Israel will “fail to impose their agendas and schemes on our land and holy sites.”
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said on Thursday that Gaza’s administration must be composed of “Palestinian national figures without Israeli interference.” He added that Palestinian factions have submitted a proposal of 40 names to assume responsibility for administering the Gaza Strip.
World Leaders React
In a post on Truth Social, Trump hailed the agreement.
“All 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. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the development as “a diplomatic success” and “a great day for Israel.”
“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel,” he said in a post on X.
“This agreement represents a purely national achievement that fulfils the fundamental demands of our people: stopping the aggression, return of the displaced, withdrawal of the occupation, a prisoner exchange deal, and the launch of relief and reconstruction efforts,” Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said, according to a Telegram post by Al-Aqsa TV, a Hamas-affiliated media outlet.
Leaders of France, the UK, Canada, and Italy welcomed news of a deal on Thursday.
UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said it was a “moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world.” He called for the immediate implementation of the agreement in full.
French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Trump and the mediators. He said he would raise a two-state solution at a Paris meeting on Thursday with senior diplomats from Europe, Arab countries, and other partners to discuss Gaza’s post-war transition.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing relatives of most Israeli hostages, thanked Trump for his efforts in a phone call and invited him to meet with them during his next visit to Israel.
Netanyahu said on Thursday that he spoke with Trump, thanking him for “all his efforts and for his global leadership” and inviting him to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Celebrations spread across Gaza as Palestinians welcomed the approval of the first phase of the peace plan.
