"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan... BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/lAUxi1UPYh
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 8, 2025
The exact terms of the deal, worked out in Egypt on Monday by Israeli and Hamas negotiators, are still not clear. And while it’s wise not to celebrate until the hostages are safely home, this is nonetheless a major breakthrough. Under the framework reportedly on the table, Hamas would be required to fully disarm in exchange for an end to Israel’s military operations. In return, more humanitarian aid would flow into Gaza, and plans for the territory’s reconstruction could finally move forward.
Trump announces deal reached on first part of his Gaza plan: ‘All hostages will be freed very soon’
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
announced late on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...have signed off on the "first phase" of his plan to secure the release of all hostages and end the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
war, two years and a day after the fighting was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.
"This means that ALL of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw [its] troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting Peace," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He later hailed the accord as "a great day for the world," saying, "The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day... a wonderful day for everybody."
Trump told Fox News that all the hostages would probably be released on Monday. "We think they will all be coming back on Monday... and that will include the bodies of the dead," he said. "They [the hostages] are in a terrible situation there. They are deep, deep in the earth. As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed."
Other unconfirmed reports said all hostages would be freed by Monday, and indicated that Hamas would not hold the kind of propaganda ceremonies, on stage in front of large Gazook crowds, at which hostages were handed over to the Red Thingy in previous deals.
Two sources familiar with the negotiations had earlier told The Times of Israel that Hamas would release all the remaining living hostages as early as Saturday. Twenty of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to be alive. All slain hostages that Hamas is able to locate are also to be released.
The deal will be formally signed on Thursday in Egypt, the sources said, adding that the biggest issues in the Gaza talks have been resolved and what remains to be finalized is merely procedural. The official signing was tentatively set for midday.
Trump is set to head to the region this weekend. Invited by Netanyahu to address the Knesset, in a phone call they held some two hours after he announced the deal, the president indicated he would do so.
"All parties will be treated fairly!" Trump stressed on Truth Social, in a message widely understood to be directed at Hamas, which has sought guarantees from the American leader that he will not allow Israel to resume the war once the hostages are released.
"This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Moslem world, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America; and we thank the mediators from Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
, Egypt and
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen," Trump continued.
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" he added.
CABINET TO MEET ON THURSDAY TO RATIFY DEAL
Within seconds of Trump’s post, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, "With God’s help we will bring them all home."
"A great day for Israel," the premier said in a subsequent statement.
"I will convene the cabinet tomorrow to ratify the agreement and bring all our precious hostages home," he said. He thanked Israel’s soldiers, "whose courage and sacrifice have brought us to this day," along with Trump and his aides, "for their commitment 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 neighbors," Netanyahu added.
In a third statement, in English, Netanyahu wrote: "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."
"From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved. Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point. I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages," the prime minister wrote.
Soon after Trump announced the deal, he and Netanyahu spoke by phone, and the prime minister invited the president to address the Knesset when he comes to the region this weekend. Trump told Channel 12’s Barak Ravid he would likely come to Israel and speak in the Knesset. "They want me to give a speech at the Knesset and I will definitely do that if they want me to," Trump said. "It is a great day for Israel and for the world. My call with Bibi was great. He is so happy. He should be. It is a great achievement. The whole world has come together to reach this deal including countries that were enemies."
Netanyahu’s office said, "The two held a very emotional and warm conversation, congratulating one another on the historic achievement of signing the agreement for the release of all the hostages."
In its own statement confirming the deal, Hamas said it had reached an agreement that ends the war, withdraws Israeli troops, secures the entry of humanitarian aid
into Gaza and ensures the release of Paleostinian prisoners. Nearly 2,000 of them will be released as part of the deal, including 250 serving life sentences.The Hamas statement thanked the mediators, including Trump, "who has worked to bring about a complete and final cessation of the war and the full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip."
The initial partial withdrawal of Israeli troops ahead of the hostage release will leave Israel in control of just over a majority of the Strip. Hamas was working to secure a timetable for the pullout after earlier drafts of the plan described it as performance-based. It was unclear whether Hamas was able to change the terms.
"We call upon President Trump, the guarantor countries of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the obligations of the agreement and to prevent it from evading or delaying the implementation of what has been agreed upon," Hamas said.
The terror group hailed the "steadfastness" of Paleostinians, adding that "our people’s sacrifices will not be in vain. We pledge to remain faithful to our cause and never abandon our national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved."
Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari tweeted that mediators secured an agreement "on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Paleostinian prisoners, and the entry of aid."
"The details will be announced later," he added.
Trump told news hounds earlier Wednesday that he planned to travel to the region this weekend — likely to Egypt — if a deal was inked.
| But as of 2 a.m. EDT: |
[IsraelTimes] Israeli negotiators are still in Sharm el-Sheikh, “working on completing the details of the agreement, with an emphasis on the list of terrorists to be released,” a senior member of the team tells The Times of Israel.
Preparing the list is urgent for the security cabinet and government meeting later today, says the official.