Videos: Israel, Hamas agree to 1st phase of Trump's peace plan

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of his administration’s plan to release all of the remaining hostages, initiate a ceasefire, and establish “everlasting peace” in the Middle East. 

In a Wednesday evening statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “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,” Trump added. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

The Independent reported that an Israeli government spokesperson confirmed a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is currently expected to start on Friday.

The president told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that the countries in the Middle East “came together” to bring an end to the war in Gaza and achieve a historic peace deal. Trump noted that he believes all of the hostages still held by Hamas will be released and returned to Israel on Monday.

Addressing the potential future of Gaza and the Middle East, Trump told Hannity, “I think you’re going to see people getting along, and you’ll see Gaza being rebuilt.”

Prior to announcing the peace deal between Israel and Gaza on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted a roundtable discussion Trump was participating in by handing the president a note. After Trump received the note, he said, “I was just given a note by the secretary of state stating that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly.

Following Trump’s announcement on Truth Social, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home.

Netanyahu added, “I thank from the depths of my heart President Trump and his team for their mobilization for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages.”