Trump claims Gaza hostages will be freed NEXT WEEK as he readies for historic Middle East trip

Israel’s cabinet are currently meeting after a ceasefire agreement was reached with Hamas last night to free hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Here is what we know so far about the agreement, reached following indirect talks in Egypt including mediators from Turkey, Qatar, the US and Egypt.

• Israel said the final draft of the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal had been signed by all parties
• Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said the ceasefire would take effect ‘within 24 hours’ of a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet
• Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would not vote in favour of the deal but foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said he would approve it
• All hostages, living and dead, will be released 72 hours later – which is Monday
• In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners: 250 of whom are serving life sentences
• Israel said its military would redeploy to an agreed-upon “yellow line” within 24 hours.
• A daily minimum of 400 trucks of aid will enter the Gaza Strip for the first five days of the ceasefire, to be increased in following days, a Hamas source said
• Trump’s plan calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority – neither of which have been addressed
• Hamas official said negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire would begin ‘immediately’

Cindy McCain, wife of the later Sen. John McCain and the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

‘Unrestricted humanitarian access is urgently needed to deliver life-saving food & assistance,’ she said.

‘@WFP is on the ground and ready to scale up operations, but we need to move NOW—there is no time to waste.’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims Iran is in the process of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit any American city – including the president’s Mar-a-Lago home.

Netanyahu made the hair-raising assertion in an interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro last week.

Without providing any evidence, Netanyahu described missiles with an 8,000-kilometer range that could even hit places like Washington DC, New York and even the president’s Palm Beach home.

Israeli Defense Force company commander Amit Govrin recounted the horrific events of October 7, 2023.

Donald Trump issued one last ultimatum demanding Hamas accept a US peace agreement to end the bloody Gaza war on Friday.

Days later, the president announced that Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to free hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres committed to providing aid to Gaza, but caution that more needs to be done to ensure peace.

‘For Israelis and Palestinians alike, this deal offers a glimmer of relief, and that glimmer must become the dawn of peace, the beginning of the end of this devastating war,’ he said.

‘To turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns.’

He went on to call for a two-state solution and offered his support for humanitarian aid workers.

‘To seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward, a path towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and achieving a two-state solution. A path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and to wider peace and security in the Middle East,’ Guterres said.

‘[The deal is a] reminder that the solutions to conflicts are not found on the battlefield — they must be forged at the negotiating table and then, crucially, they must be fully implemented.’

Donald Trump said Iran has asked to work on achieving peace, insisting that the June attack obliterated their nuclear program.

‘I think the attack was very important on Iran, because let’s say that didn’t happen, they’d probably, by now, have a nuclear weapon, numerous nuclear weapons,’ he said.

‘Therefore, even if we signed a deal, there’d be a big dark cloud over it, and it wouldn’t be the same thing.

‘Iran’s different, but Iran wants to work on peace. Now they’ve informed us, and they acknowledge that they are totally in favor of this deal. They think it’s a great thing. So we appreciate that, and we’ll work with Iran.’

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said that the release of the Hamas hostages should bring an end to the two-year war amid concerns Israel could resume fire after the captives are set free.

‘There will be a ceasefire and then the commitment within 72 hours of Hamas to release all the hostages. I believe that can – that should bring the end to this war,’ Saar told Fox News.

Donald Trump said Iran wants to work towards piece after the US teamed up with Israeli forces to target Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

‘Iran wants to work on peace now, they’ve informed us,’ he said, adding that the US will cooperate.

After announcing Israeli hostages will be released early next week, Donald Trump expressed his desire to go to the Middle East.

‘That will be a day of joy, I’m going to try and make a trip over,’ Trump said.

‘Working on the timing, the exact timing. Going to go to Egypt, where we’ll have a signing, an additional signing.’

Donald Trump said he hopes the deal will achieve ‘everlasting peace’ between Hamas and Israel and believes the hostages will be released early next week.

‘We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday.

‘Getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. There are places you don’t want to be, but we are getting the hostages back on Tuesday, Monday or Tuesday, and that’ll be a day of joy.’

The president also expressed his interest in traveling to the Middle East and Egypt for an additional signing of the deal.

Donald Trump said that Gaza will be ‘redone’ after the war.

‘Gaza is going to be, slowly redone,’ he said. ‘You have tremendous wealth in that part of the world by certain countries. And just a small part of that, what they make, will do wonders for Gaza.’

Donald Trump declared that the war in Gaza has ended as he started his cabinet meeting Thursday

‘Last night we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East, something that people said was never going to be done,’ Trump said. ‘We ended the war in Gaza.’

He added, ‘We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday.’

The president also said he is going to try and take a trip to the Middle East.

In order to reach a ceasefire deal, the mediators — including Donald Trump, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — guaranteed that Israel would not resume the war after the hostages are released, sources told the Washington Post.

‘They can still have freedom of action against Hamas [individuals] but Israel has no justification to resume operations after getting hostages back, and if they bomb repeatedly, it will look bad in international eyes,’ the source said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Fox News that the ceasefire deal will into effect ‘immediately after’ it is approved by the Israeli cabinet.

‘I believe that should bring the end to this war,’ he said.

Donald Trump is expected to visit the Middle East this weekend which might include a stop in Gaza.

When asked by reporters if he would visit the city, Trump replied, ‘I may do that.’

The office of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said Trump will travel to Israel on Sunday after he announced Israel and Hamas had agreed to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have landed in Israel.

Their arrival comes as Israel’s Security Cabinet is set to vote on the first phase of Trump’s peace deal.

Earlier in the day, they met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo.

An Israeli government spokeswoman confirmed they will not be releasing prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti as part of the agreement reached with Hamas.

‘I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,’ Shosh Bedrosian said.

Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, was sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges and is considered a terrorist by Israel.

He often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders and is sometimes described by his supporters as the ‘Palestinian Mandela’.

Pictured: Barghouti in handcuffs in 2002

In the viral footage, Secretary of State Marco Rubio can be seen scribbling a note and sliding it towards Donald Trump on Wednesday, who reads it, leans back in his chair, and looks up at him.

Seconds later, Rubio stepped forward, leaned in close, and whispered something in Trump’s ear.

House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Donald Trump for arranging the Israel-Hamas peace deal during a press conference on the government shutdown Thursday.

‘What President Trump achieved yesterday, was announced last night, is a truly historic foreign policy achievement. I mean, it cannot be understated. We should give a whole press conference just about that,’ Johnson said.

‘The deal that he struck between Israel and Hamas will achieve incredible results, not just for that region, but for every peace loving people around the world, everyone around the world. He’s going to return, bring the hostages home. Two years they’ve been in captivity and now finally will be delivered home.

‘He’s going to bring the hostages home. He’s going to bring peace and security back to Israel and truly lay the foundation for a lasting peace in the Middle East.’

A spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his three goals he established for the war in Gaza have been accomplished.

In a televised briefing, Shosh Bedrosian said:

From day one in this war, the prime minister laid out three objectives — the return of all of our hostages, the defeat and dismantling of Hamas and ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

All of the prime minister’s objectives have now been achieved.

While we’ve seen celebrations in Gaza and Israel at the ceasefire deal, not everyone appears overjoyed as thousands of Cubans demonstrated outside the US embassy in Havana.

The event, led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and organised by the communist-run government, saw people show solidarity for the Palestinians and denounce Washington for providing weapons and diplomatic support to Israel during the conflict.

Many said they were skeptical of the deal brokered by President Trump.

Leanet Rodriguez, a 20-year-old university student, said

We don’t believe this peace will last because the same thing will happen as in Ukraine: President Trump promised peace, promised an end to the war, and it didn’t happen.

The World Bank estimates the cost of reconstructing war-torn Gaza after two years of Israeli bombing stands at $80 billion (£60 billion).

The figure has risen from an estimated $53 billion last October.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa – a former World Bank official – has been developing rebuilding plans since taking office 18 months ago.

With Egypt’s support, he has scheduled a reconstruction conference to take place a month after the ceasefire.

Donald Trump is expected to visit Jerusalem this weekend where it is likely the US President will receive a hero’s welcome.

The office of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said Trump will travel to Israel on Sunday after he announced Israel and Hamas had agreed to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

An event scheduled for Sunday at Herzog’s residence in Jerusalem was cancelled ‘in light of the expected release of the hostages, and… the upcoming visit of President of the United States Donald J. Trump to Israel,’ his office said in a statement.

The decision was made due to anticipated security closures in Jerusalem surrounding the visit and the historic developments unfolding in the coming days.

Flag-waving Palestinians and Israelis are marking a day of celebration today after a new Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached last night.

We have seen joyous scenes across Gaza and Tel Aviv after Donald Trump announced a deal had been reached which will see the release of Israeli hostages and an end to the fighting with Israel’s forces withdrawing from Gaza.

Here’s the latest pictures from both areas.

Russia hopes Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war will be successful and is willing to support efforts to end the bloodshed, Vladimir Putin said today.

Speaking at a summit in Tajikistan, Putin said:

We very much hope that these initiatives of the U.S. president will actually be realised in practice.

It comes after the Kremlin expressed cautious optimism over the easefire agreement between Israel and Hamas

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

We certainly support these efforts. It cannot but cause general satisfaction that a ceasefire in Gaza is already being established. All these efforts can be welcomed. We hope that the signatures will be delivered today, and then actions will follow to implement the agreements reached.

Iran has welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas, which it has supported for years, and Israel, its arch-nemesis.

In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry said:

Iran has always supported any action and initiative that includes stopping the genocidal war, withdrawal of the occupying forces, bringing in humanitarian aid, releasing Palestinian prisoners and realising the fundamental rights of the Palestinians.

Benjamin Netanyahu has called on Donald Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow.

The official X account of the Israeli Prime Minister showed a mocked up image of Trump being presented with the honour with the words ‘peace through strength’ plastered behind him.

Netanyahu has praised Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and shared an ’emotional’ phone call with him following agreement on the first phase of a deal to release the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Bookies have installed U.S. President Donald Trump as the joint-favourite for the Nobel Peace Prize after he brokered the breakthrough Israel-Gaza peace deal, securing an end to the brutal two-year war.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would nominate Trump for the prestigious award in exchange for Tomahawk missiles, the American-made subsonic precision weapon that launches from ships and submarines.

The U.S. president is now the 5/2 joint-favourite alongside Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms in Ladbrokes’ Nobel Peace Prize betting ahead of Friday’s announcement.

Both Israel and Hamas agreed Wednesday to the first phase of Trump’s plan to pause fighting and release hostages, a deal that could open the way to ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict that has reshaped the Middle East.

With just hours to go before judges announce the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, experts are waiting to see whether the U.S. president will win the prestigious award he has been yearning for since his election.

Surviving hostages will be handed over by Hamas to Red Cross representatives without a release ceremony before being transferred to IDF troops inside Gaza, it is being reported.

The Times of Israel reports the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be living, will be escorted from Gaza to a military base where they will be examined and met by their relatives.

Hostages will then be taken to hospitals in central Israel for further treatment and anyone requiring urgent attention will be airlifted to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

The bodies of dead hostages will also be met by troops in Gaza where a ceremony led by a military rabbi will be held in their honour.

Shosh Bedrosian said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held an ’emotional’ phone call today following the announcement of a Gaza deal between Israel and Hamas.

She told journalists:

In a phone call earlier this morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his global leadership efforts to make this all possible

It was a very emotional and a warm conversation as both leaders congratulated each other on this historic achievement.

Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said the final draft of Donald Trump’s Gaza peace deal was signed in Egypt this morning.

The first phase of the deal will see the release of Israeli hostages as well as a ceasefire.

Ms Bedrosian said the ceasefire will start ‘within 24 hours’ after the Israeli cabinet meets at 5pm local time (3pm UK time).

She added the IDF will retreat to a line which will see the military controlling around per cent of the Gaza Strip to allow Hamas a 72-hour window to release the remaining hostages back to Israel,

Israel does not intend to release a prisoner known as the ‘Palestinian Mandela’ in exchange for hostages, a government spokesperson said today.

It was reported that Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, was included on a list of prisoners Hamas wanted to be released as part of the deal.

But Shosh Bedrosian told reporters:

I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release.

Barghouti, who was sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges and is considered a terrorist by Israel, often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders and is sometimes described by his supporters as the ‘Palestinian Mandela’.

Israel and Hamas agreed in indirect talks that the 48 hostages held by militants in Gaza would be released in exchange around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Donald Trump has reeled off his first Truth Social posts in which he declared it will be a ‘great day in the Middle East’.

The President thanked Republican Congressman Brian Mast, US ambassador Mike Huckabee and former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy in three updates this morning.

Both Israel and Hamas have shown a readiness to respond positively to pressure from Trump and others, but each side faces their own political calculations.

For Netanyahu, agreeing to the plan seems based on a calculation he stay on the right side of the United States, Israel’s vital ally, and win over an Israeli public desperate to see an end to the war, while conceding as little as possible to avoid alienating his religious nationalist coalition partners.

The 20-point plan, for example, offers a possible pathway, albeit highly conditional, to a Palestinian state although Netanyahu has said that will never happen.

Hamas has dropped its opposition to any that was only partial because of the risk of war resuming once hostages were handed over.

It has also signed up to deal calling for demilitarisation, which it has repeatedly rejected.

Under pressure from Arab states and Turkey, alongside Trump, Hamas may have had little choice but to accept.

But it may be calculating Trump’s determination is the best guarantee that war will not resume for now, while the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh have put the militant group at the negotiating table to shape the future for Palestinians even though the deal seeks to sideline it.

Displaced Palestinians are celebrating on the streets of Gaza after it emerged Israel and Hamas have approved a ceasefire deal which will come into force tonight.

The deal, which will see the release of Israeli hostages, marks a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and sparked a humanitarian crisis

Donald Trump could secure the Nobel Peace Prize at the last minute after he brokered the historic peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Both sides have agreed to the first phase of the US President’s plan to pause fighting and release hostages, paving the way to ending the two-year war in Gaza.

Mr Trump has been yearning for the award for since his election – and the Norwegian Nobel Committee is set to announce who will receive it tomorrow.

But the committee held its final meeting on Monday – with a decision therefore having been made before the agreement between Israel and Hamas was struck.

Mr Trump has said that he ‘deserves’ the prize and claims to have ‘ended seven wars’, adding that it would be a ‘big insult’ were he not to receive the honour.

Now we are asking readers in today’s poll whether they think he deserves the award amid added attention to the annual guessing game over who the winner will be.

by Stephen Pollard

Well, now we know the difference between serious statecraft and token virtue-signalling.

Donald Trump has provided a clear demonstration of leadership and hard power, using his mighty office and more importantly the sheer force of his gargantuan personality to move mountains and secure the release of Hamas’s hostages, which will hopefully end the Gaza war.

Keir Starmer and his fellow political pygmies – French president Emmanuel Macron, Canadian PM Mark Carney, along with the Spanish and Australian prime ministers Pedro Sanchez and Anthony Albanese – have had nothing to offer but performative gestures over the ‘recognition’ of a non-existent ‘Palestinian state.’

Read more here:

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar has said he hopes new ‘diplomatic horizons’ will open as he confirmed he will vote to approve Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal.

Praising the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Sa’ar said Israel had ‘demonstrated extraordinary strength, determination, and resilience’ throughout the past two years.

Looking ahead, he said:

I hope that in the near future, new diplomatic horizons will open for Israel. We have an interest in expanding the circle of peace and normalization in the region.

Another Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi , has accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to ‘sabotage’ the Gaza ceasefire over what prisoners will be released to free the hostages.

Writing on his X page, Mr Mardawi said there were disagreements over the prisoners which threaten to derail the agreed first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan.

‘It seems Netanyahu is trying to sabotage the ceasefire agreement before its implementation, by reneging on prisoner release lists in an attempt to derail the understandings’.

A Hamas official has claimed Israel will withdraw its military from all populated areas of Gaza – including Khan Younis, Rafah and Gaza City – on Friday.

Osama Hamdan, who was not among the negotiators in Egypt, told the Qatari Al-Araby TV channel that Israel must retreat before any release of hostages so Hamas operatives have freer movement.

Hamdan also confirmed reports that 250 prisoners serving life sentences will be released from Israeli jails as well as 1,700 Gazan prisoners under the ceasefire deal.

But he refused to say whether Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine are included.

Five countries, Turkey, Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt will take part in a joint task force to locate the bodies of dead hostages in Gaza whose locations are unknown, a senior Turkish official said today.

Turkish officials took part in negotiations in Egypt that resulted in a ceasefire and hostage deal earlier today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed satisfaction that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza and thanked Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war.

‘I am greatly pleased that the Hamas-Israel talks… have resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza, I especially thank US President, Mr. Trump, who demonstrated the necessary political will to encourage the Israeli government toward the ceasefire,’ Erdogan said on his official X account.

Turkey would ‘closely monitor the strict implementation of the agreement’, he added.

The mother of one of the last surviving Israeli hostages in Gaza has told how she will react following his impending release.

Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan was taken captive on October 7 two years ago, rejoiced in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand their return.

‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,’ she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.

She added:

What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him,” she said. “Just tell him that I love him, that’s it. And to see his eyes sink into mine … It’s overwhelming — this is the relief.

The Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the largest independent aid groups working in Gaza, said Donald Trump’s plan to increase aid to starving people as part of a ceasefire will fail unless all aid groups can resume operations.

Speaking in an interview to Reuters, Jan Egeland, NRC head, said:

The desperation is deeper and the exhaustion is greater than anyone can imagine inside Gaza…It’s not enough with some U.N. agencies and some few NGOs. If not, the Trump peace plan will not succeed…We don’t have time for more bureaucratic obstacles.

Israelis and Palestinians on Thursday rejoiced after Trump announced that a ceasefire and hostage deal was reached under the first phase of his plan to end the two-year war in Gaza.

Egeland said NRC, among other international NGOs, had been blocked from bringing aid into Gaza since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade on supplies in May.

Israel has said there is no limit on quantities of food aid entering Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing aid, accusations the terror group denies.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says it is ready to flood Gaza with desperately-needed food – with enough stocks to last three months.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says the agency also has medicines and basic supplies it can provide.

The list of Palestinians that Hamas wants freed was expected to include some of the most prominent prisoners ever jailed by Israel, whose release had been off limits in previous ceasefires.

According to a Palestinian source close to the talks, the list includes Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Barghouti, who was sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges and is considered a terrorist by Israel, often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders and is sometimes described by his supporters as the ‘Palestinian Mandela’.

Saadat is also serving multiple life sentences over attacks that killed Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government today to approve the agreement.

Hamas is to release the 20 living hostages together, 72 hours after the ceasefire begins, the sources said. An Israeli official said the hostages could be freed on Sunday or Monday.

Israel is expected to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including over 200 who are serving life sentences, the Palestinian sources said.

Hamas said on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of the hostages being held and the Palestinian prisoners it wanted freed and exchanged.

The Israeli official said that once Israel approves the deal, it must withdraw to the agreed line within 24 hours, after which the 72-hour clock would begin. The White House expects the hostages will start being released on Monday.

Under Trump’s plan, humanitarian aid entering Gaza is to increase. The Israeli official said 600 trucks per day would soon start entering Gaza. Two Palestinian sources said the number would be a minimum of 400 trucks a day and gradually increase.

Foreign ministers from Arab and European countries will meet today in France for talks on helping the Palestinians once the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas ends.

Top diplomats from five key Arab states – Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – with European counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK. Turkey and the European Union will also be represented in Paris.

‘This meeting will enable work on the implementation of the peace plan and the framework for the ‘day after’ by specifying the aspects of a collective commitment,’ said a French foreign ministry statement.

It would focus on security, governance and reconstruction of the Palestinian territories after the war, it said.

Europe has strongly supported the ceasefire efforts spearheaded by President Donald Trump, Washington and several European countries are at odds over whether it is the right moment to recognise a Palestinian state.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said an agreement to secure the release of hostages in Gaza will take effect only after receiving cabinet approval.

‘Contrary to Arab media reports, the 72-hour countdown will begin only after the agreement is approved in the cabinet meeting, which is expected in the evening hours,’ Mr Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza deal involving the exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, with the swap set to occur within 72 hours of the deal’s implementation.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has proclaimed the world is ‘witnessing a historic moment’ following agreement on the first phase of Donald Trump’s Gaza peace deal.

The breakthrough came following indirect negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh involving Israel and Hamas alongside mediators from Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and the US.

The president wrote on X:

The world is witnessing a historic moment that embodies the triumph of the will for peace over the logic of war.

From Sharm El-Sheikh — the city of peace and the cradle of dialogue and understanding — an agreement is reached to establish a ceasefire and end the war in Gaza after two years of suffering and woes, in accordance with the peace plan proposed by President Trump and under the auspices of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States of America.

This agreement does not only close the chapter of war; it also opens the door of hope for the peoples of the region for a future defined by justice.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of Donald Trump’s plan to pause fighting and release hostages, a deal that could open the way to ending a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict that has reshaped the Middle East.

With just hours to go before judges announce the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, experts are wondering whether the US president will win the prestigious award he has been yearning for since his election.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious peace prize, held its final meeting on Monday. This means a decision was made about the laureate before the conclusion of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The deal was struck under pressure from the US president who has made no secret of the fact that he believes he is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Read more here:

Israel’s cabinet will meet today to discuss a plan to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza, a government statement said after US President Donald Trump’s announced a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

‘Government meeting at 6pm (3pm GMT). Agenda – Plan for the release of all Israeli hostages,’ an announcement posted on the government website said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced overnight that he would be convening a cabinet meeting to approve a plan for the release of hostages.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will no longer attend a meeting in Paris with European, Arab and other states today to discuss Gaza’s post-war transition, but Washington is likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.

The meeting will be held in parallel with indirect talks under way between Israel and Hamas in Sharm el-Sheikh on Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.

Rubio had been initially expected to attend, five diplomatic sources said, but his presence was ultimately not possible due to the government shutdown in the United States, two of the sources later said. A third confirmed the change in plans.

However, a US official is still due to attend, although it was not clear who.

A European diplomatic source said it was vital for the U.S. to attend because nothing could move forward without Washington.

The US embassy in Paris has scaled back operations due to the shutdown.

Two years after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the terror group is believed to still be holding 48 hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Israel believes 20 of the hostages are still alive.

It is not known whether Bipin Joshi, taken from Kibbutz Alumim, and Tamir Nimrodi, captured from his base near the Erez Crossing, are alive or dead.

The hostages believed to be alive are:

• Matan Angrest (22) – Israeli soldier taken from Nahal Oz
• Ariel Cunio (28) – Taken hostage from Nir Oz
• David Cunio (34) – Taken hostage from Nir Oz
• Gali and Ziv Berman (27) – The twins were taken captive from Kfar Aza
• Elkana Bohbot (36) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Rom Braslavski (21) – Working on security at the Supernova festival and abducted
• Nimrod Cohen (20) – Abducted from a tank in the Gaza envelope
• Evyatar David (24) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Guy Gilboa-Dalal (24) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Maxim Herkin (37) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Eitan Horn (38) – Taken hostage from Nir Oz
• Bar Kupershtein (23) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Omri Miran (48) – Taken hostage from Nahal Oz
• Eitan Mor (25) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Segev Kalfon (27) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Yosef-Haim Ohana (24) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Alon Ohel (24) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Avinatan Or (32) – Abducted at the Supernova festival
• Matan Zangauker (25) – Taken hostage from Nir Oz

Saudi Arabia on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and said it hoped it would lead to peace after two years of devastating war.

In a statement released by the Saudi foreign ministry, the nation said:

This important step will lead to urgent action to alleviate the humanitarian suffering… achieve a full Israeli withdrawal, restore security and stability, and initiate practical steps to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (pictured) hailed the ceasefire deal in Gaza which he said he hoped could lead to a Palestinian state being established.

In a statement on social media, Abbas ‘welcomed the announcement by US President Donald Trump of an agreement to cease the war on the Gaza Strip,’ and ‘expressed hope that these efforts would be a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution… leading to an end to the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state’.

Abbas leads the Palestinian Authority which governs parts of the West Bank, but does not govern Gaza.

Last month Britain, France, Canada and Australia were among nations who have formally recognised Palestine to protect the viability of a two-state solution.

In January, Israel and Hamas reached agreement on a ceasefire that brought the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Under the agreement the two sides were then supposed to enter negotiations over a long-term truce, an Israeli withdrawal and a full hostage release.

Past rounds of negotiations have frequently fallen apart over the same obstacle, with Hamas demanding assurances of the war’s end and Mr Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed.

Following Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas signed off on the first phase of his plan, the President said it showed the ‘first steps’ towards an everlasting peace.

But negotiations in Egypt are continuing today and there remains key parts of the plan that, as of yet, have not been pinned down.

They include requirements that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of an international body to run Gaza after Hamas steps down from power.

According to Mr Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Israel will withdraw its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force being put in place.

The territory would be placed under international governance, with Mr Trump and former UK prime minister Tony Blair overseeing it.

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s top negotiator, told Egypt’s Qahera TV that the group wanted solid guarantees from Mr Trump and mediators that the war ‘will not return’.

Israeli strikes on three Gaza City suburbs continued overnight and this morning despite the looming prospect of a ceasefire.

Lines of smoke rose over Shejaia, Tuffah and Zeitoun in the early hours but there have been no reports of casualties.

It comes as talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Donald Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave.

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon.

It is expected Israel could approve a ceasefire later today after Benjamin Netanyahu meets his senior officials.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Donald Trump’s Gaza peace deal includes after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase:

• Hamas will release 20 living hostages at the same time as part of the first phase of the deal, a Palestinian source close to the negotiations said
• A top official within Hamas told AFP Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners: 250 among those serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the start of the war
• The exchange should take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the deal, which was also ‘agreed with Palestinian factions’, another source within Hamas said
• A daily minimum of 400 trucks of aid will enter the Gaza Strip for the first five days of the ceasefire, to be increased in following days, according to the same source
• It also provides for the ‘return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north immediately,’ they added
• The deal stipulates ‘scheduled withdrawals’ of Israeli troops, the Hamas top official said, and includes ‘guarantees from President Trump and the mediators’
• Hamas called in an official statement on Trump to compel Israel to fully implement the agreement and ‘not allow it to evade or procrastinate in implementing what has been agreed’

In Egypt this week, negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been taking place under the shadow of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack.

On October 7 2023, Hamas militants attacked a music festival in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of whom were civilians.

Terrorists also took 251 people hostage into Gaza, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.

Global pressure to end the war has escalated, with a UN-declared famine unfolding in Gaza and Israeli hostage families longing for their loved ones’ return.

Protests have erupted in countries around the globe in recent weeks, and a UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide, a charge the government rejected as ‘distorted and false’.

Hamas has also been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Smoke rises after an Israeli strike in Gaza city on Wednesday

Donald Trump said that other countries in the Middle East will help Gaza rebuild but that the United States will help keep things peaceful.

‘Gaza, we believe, is going to be a much safer place, and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs, and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct, because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,’ he said.

‘We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful and helping it stay peaceful,’ the president added.

The major peace deal was announced by Trump just two days before the 2025 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is revealed. The winner will be be awarded on December 10 at a formal ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

Trump has long made the prize one of his ambitions as president.

The talks have been taking place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh

Talks to end the war in Gaza were bolstered by the arrival of senior figures from Israel and the United States on Wednesday after Hamas handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed in a swap.

With President Trump’s 20-point plan appearing closer than any previous effort to halt the war, delegations were upgrading their presence at the talks, launched on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, sources familiar with the talks said, and an Israeli official said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was also now there.

They were expected to join the talks, along with the prime minister of longstanding mediator Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

These are the jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square this morning as Israel prepares to welcome back Israeli hostages, alive and dead, from Hamas.

Israel expects its hostages to start being released on Saturday, after Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of a Gaza deal, an Israeli government spokesperson told Reuters.

The spokesperson did not say whether the government expects all 48 remaining hostages, living and deceased, to be released at once

Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he opposed the Gaza ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas, insisting that he would vote against it.

Writing on X, Smotrich said:

There is immense fear of the consequences of emptying the prisons and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders who will do everything to continue to pour rivers of Jewish blood here, God forbid. For this reason alone, we cannot join in short-sighted celebrations or vote in favour of the deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to convene a meeting of his security cabinet and government before any deal is approved.

Politicians across the globe expressed hope for peace and urged Israel and Hamas to fulfil their commitments after Donald Trump announced the parties had agreed to the ‘first phase’ of a deal signalling a major breakthrough in the two-year war in Gaza.

Let’s see how they reacted to the landmark pact:

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

The United Nations will support the full implementation of the agreement and will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

I am relieved that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families. After years of intense suffering, peace finally feels attainable. Canada calls on all parties to swiftly implement all agreed terms and to work towards a just and lasting peace.

• Argentine President Javier Milei

I want to take the opportunity to say that I will sign the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to international peace. Any other leader with similar achievements would have received it a long time ago.

• French President Emmanuel Macron

This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution. France stands ready to contribute to this goal. We will discuss it this afternoon in Paris with our international partners.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu. We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.

• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

The announcement of an agreement that will bring an end to the genocide in Gaza is a historic opportunity to secure lasting peace in the Middle East. President Trump’s leadership throughout the process of dialogue and negotiations reflects his unwavering commitment to world peace. The resolute and wise leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye are also to be applauded for their untiring efforts to negotiate a deal.

Sir Keir Starmer hailed Israel and Hamas’ landmark agreement to phase one of a peace deal as a ‘moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world’.

Responding to the news, Sir Keir, who is currently visiting India, said:

I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years.

The ‘tireless diplomatic efforts’ of the US, as well as Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have been crucial in moving towards peace, the Prime Minister said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government today to approve the agreement which will mark the start of a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, Netanyahu said:

A big day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home. I thank the heroic IDF soldiers 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 their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages. With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbours.

Meanwhile Hamas also said it valued Trump’s efforts as members called on the President to ensure Israel fully implements its obligations as part of the agreement

In a statement, Hamas said:

We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and throughout our homeland and the diaspora, who have demonstrated unparalleled honor, courage, and heroism — confronting the fascist occupation projects that targeted them and their national rights. These sacrifices and steadfast positions have thwarted the Israeli occupation’s schemes of subjugation and displacement. We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge — never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.

Palestinians and the families of Israeli hostages broke into wild celebrations today at news of a pact between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and return home all the Israeli hostages, both living and dead.

In Gaza, where most of the more than 2 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, young men applauded in the devastated streets, even as Israeli strikes continued in some parts of the enclave.

‘Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,’ said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

‘I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed. Thank you and all the love to those who stood with us.’

In Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand the return of loved ones, Einav Zaugauker, the mother of a hostage, was ecstatic.

‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,’ she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.

Donald Trump told the families of Israeli hostages their loved ones will be returning home on Monday after Israel and Hamas agreed to phase one of a peace deal.

Under Trump’s deal, Hamas plans to release all 20 remaining hostages in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

Last night, the US president spoke to the families of those held captive by the terror organisation during a phone call with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

With Trump on speakerphone, Lutnick asked the families: ‘You have the best crowd in the world, what do you have to say to President Trump?’ The entire group of about a dozen people responded: ‘Thank you!’

‘Thank you very much everybody,’ responded Trump, as one of the family members exclaimed: ‘You did it!’

This is the moment Donald Trump learned Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his landmark deal for peace in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted a roundtable Trump was having in the State Dining Room to deliver him an urgent note

‘I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly,’ Trump told attendees.

The frantically scrawled note was caught on camera.

It read: ‘Very close. We need you to approve a post on Truth Social soon, so you can announce the deal first.’

At the same event, Trump confirmed reports that he would head to the Middle East as soon as this weekend.

He told reporters he would likely travel to Egypt , where negotiations are happening, but expressed an openness to traveling to Gaza as well.

Good morning and welcome to the Daily Mail’s live coverage as Donald Trump announced Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his plan for peace in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in Gaza so that the remaining hostages there can be freed in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, accepting elements of a plan put forward by the Trump administration.

Writing on his Truth Social page, Trump said: ‘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.

Israel and Hamas separately confirmed the contours of their deal, which drew celebratory gatherings from hostage families in Tel Aviv and cautious optimism from some in Gaza.

Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

Join us for live updates on the deal throughout the day.