WASHINGTON (TNND) — Israel and Hamas have both signed on to the first phase of a historic peace deal brokered by the United States, marking a significant step towards ending the two-year war. The agreement starts with a ceasefire and the release of hostages. President Donald Trump celebrated the deal during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“We ended the war in Gaza and really on a much bigger basis created peace, and I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace. Peace in the Middle East,” he said.
The ceasefire in Gaza is expected to take effect within 24 hours of Israel’s formal ratification of the plan. Government leaders were meeting ahead of a formal vote on Thursday evening. Phase one includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and then a 72-hour countdown will commence for Hamas to release hostages. There are approximately 20 believed to be alive and the remains of 25 others are believed to still be held.
“We are getting the hostages back on Tuesday, Monday or Tuesday, and that’ll be a day of joy. I’m gonna try and make a trip over,” Trump said Thursday. His trip is reportedly set to include trips to Israel and Egypt.
The peace deal, a breakthrough in a conflict that began with the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust, has sparked celebrations in both Israel and Gaza. However, concerns remain about the deal’s durability. The war has led to the deaths of nearly 70,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry and created a humanitarian crisis for people living there. Either side backing out of the deal could be devastating, but President Trump was optimistic that wouldn’t happen.
The hostage release is only the first phase of a 20-point plan proposed by the Trump administration, which includes rebuilding Gaza without Hamas. The timeline for future phases remains unclear.
“There will be disarming, there will be pullbacks, there will be a lot of things happening,” Trump said. “I gave you a whole list of 22 different things that will take place. And I think it will take place and I think we’ll end up with peace in the Middle East, but we have to get our hostages back and we weren’t going to do it at the end, we’re going to do it at the beginning.”
President Trump also mentioned he has been invited to speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with the address potentially occurring as early as this weekend.
