Hamas accepts Trump peace plan ending 2 years of war in Gaza, returning hostages

Hamas has agreed to a peace deal pushed by President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, two years after the terrorist network attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking not only the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust, but a deadly war and a humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip. 

Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday to make the announcement: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our 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. 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!” 

Speaking to Sean Hannity, Trump said he expects the hostages to be released on Monday. He did not elaborate on whether he would be going to the region, although Netanyahu invited him to address the Israeli parliament on Sunday.

Moments before the president’s announcement, photos emerged from the negotiation room in Sharm el-Sheikh showing senior officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant progress toward a hostage release deal. Retired General Nitzan Alon was seen shaking hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister Al-Thani, with special envoy Steve Witkoff in the background. 

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On the other side, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and other senior officials appeared smiling. An Israeli source said preparations are underway for an official announcement of the agreement, while other officials expect it to be signed as early as Thursday. 

Israeli media reported Israel and the terror group will sign the deal Thursday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “With God’s help, we will bring them all home.”  Netanyahu added in a statement in Hebrew: “A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home. I thank the heroic soldiers of the IDF and all the security forces — thanks to their courage and sacrifice we have reached this day. I thank from the bottom of my heart President Trump and his team for mobilizing for this sacred mission of freeing our hostages. With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our objectives and expand peace with our neighbors.”

The terrorist organization Hamas announced in an official statement, “After responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and the Palestinian resistance factions regarding President Trump’s proposal in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the aim of ending the war of extermination against our Palestinian people and the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip, Hamas announces the reaching of an agreement that ends the war on Gaza, provides for the withdrawal of the occupation, allows the entry of aid and implements a prisoner exchange.

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“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the mediators in Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, and thank U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to bring about a final end to the war and the full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip. We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic and international parties to oblige the government of the occupation to fulfill all the agreement’s commitments, and not to allow it to evade or delay implementation of the accords.”

Dr. Majed al-Ansari, Spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on X: “The mediators announce that an agreement was reached tonight on all terms and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to stopping the war, releasing Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners, and allowing aid to enter.”

According to Israeli officials, the living hostages are expected to be released in a single phase within 72 hours. The return of the bodies of deceased hostages will take longer, but Israel insists on their inclusion in the deal. 

Hamas, reportedly backed by some Israeli sources, claims that part of the delay stems from the fact that some of the bodies are not located in areas under its control.

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Following Trump’s announcement, the hostages’ families’ headquarters released a statement: “The hostages’ families wish to express deep gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump and his team for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough: an end to the war and a comprehensive agreement to return all the hostages. There are 48 hostages in Hamas captivity. Our moral and national commitment is to bring them all home, both alive and fallen alike. Their return is a condition for the rehabilitation and revival of Israeli society as a whole. We will not rest or be quiet until the return of the last hostage. We will bring them back. We will rise.”

Netanyahu last week agreed to the U.S.’s 20-point plan that would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all 48 hostages still held, 21 of whom are still assessed to be alive, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The exact terms of the agreement – which Israeli and Hamas negotiators traveled to Egypt to hash out on Monday – remain unclear. 

Though under the original agreement, Hamas would have to completely disarm in exchange for Israel’s military operation to end, more humanitarian aid for Palestinians would be pushed into the enclave, and planning for the reconstruction of Gaza could begin. 

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Hamas, under the terms, would also have been granted “amnesty” for those who willingly give up their arms, and once all the hostages have been returned, Israel would release “250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7th, 2023.”

All the hostages were also supposed to be freed within 72 hours of an agreement being reached – though Hamas on Saturday signaled this may be unrealistic as it claims some of the deceased are believed to be buried under rubble. 

Hamas appeared to agree to part of the original terms presented by the Trump administration. But it also signaled over the weekend that it had concerns over its disarmament and the trustworthiness of Israel not to re-engage with its military ambitions once the hostages are returned. 

Specifics on various aspects of the original deal remain ambiguous, including on the international “Board of Peace” that would be headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction.

Trump said last week that “leaders from other countries” would be named to the board later. 

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The 20-point blueprint also said that the Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future “will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.”

The plan, which has been backed by Middle Eastern and Arab nations, was presented to Hamas late last month by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.

Though both nations – along with several new Western nations making up 157 of the 193 UN member states – support Palestinian statehood, the plan did not directly pave a path for how that could be accomplished.

A separate panel of experts, “who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East,” would develop an economic reconstruction plan. 

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Despite previous concerns over comments made by Trump and his administration, no one would be forced to leave under the U.S.’s latest plan, which also prevents Israel from annexing Gaza.

Instead, according to the terms of the deal released last week by the White House, “We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

Trump warned that if Hamas did not agree to the deal, Israel would have the full backing of the U.S. to carry out its operational plans in Gaza. 

Further statements on the deal also began coming in from Israel, including from Defense Minister Israel Katz, who shared a post on X. Katz described the release of the hostages as a “blessing” and expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump. 

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He also praised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, saying their “courage, determination, and immense sacrifice brought us to this great moment.”

“I warmly embrace the families of the hostages as we anticipate the return of their loved ones — including IDF soldiers and fallen heroes — home soon,” Katz added, noting that “the nation is waiting and excited.”

The IDF also released a statement on social media, welcoming “the signing of the agreement for the return of the hostages, which was signed overnight.”