Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire in Gaza: NPR

TEL AVIV — Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal intended to end the devastating Gaza war that has sparked the deadliest fighting on record between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Trump said on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas “have both signed the first phase of our peace plan.”

“This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops along an agreed line as the first step towards a strong, lasting 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 day historic and An unprecedented event occurs. Blessed are the peacemakers! »

The announcement comes just hours after Trump told reporters at the White House that he was prepared to travel to the Middle East as early as this weekend.

Israel and Hamas do not speak directly to each other, requiring indirect negotiations that were brokered by President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

It is unclear when the ceasefire will come into effect. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on social media that the cabinet would meet on Thursday, where it is expected to vote on the ceasefire agreement, “to approve the deal and bring all our beloved hostages home.”

In the same social media post, Netanyahu extended his “sincere thanks to President Trump and his team for their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages.” The two men then spoke on the phone, in a call that the Israeli prime minister described as “a very emotional and warm conversation.” In the same statement, the prime minister said he had invited Trump to address the Knesset (Israeli parliament).

The deal is believed to call on Hamas to release nearly 50 hostages, living and dead, and Israel to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

According to a senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, “the agreement will be submitted to the Israeli cabinet tomorrow. Once they vote yes, Israel will have to withdraw to the line, which should take less than 24 hours. Then the 72-hour deadline will begin, and Hamas will try to go early if possible. Our assessment is that the hostages will begin to be released on Monday.”

As Trump outlined last week, other key elements of the deal call for Hamas to disarm and relinquish any future role in governing Gaza, the seaside territory devastated by two years of fighting.

Israel is expected to keep some troops in Gaza for now, but will eventually withdraw them as the ceasefire solidifies and peace settles.

The precise details of these key provisions were not immediately clear.

The agreement marks a major breakthrough after multiple failed efforts – and two previous ceasefires that failed. A truce agreed in January this year collapsed in March when Israel renewed its offensive in Gaza. A ceasefire at the start of the war, in November 2023, lasted only a week before collapsing.

The vast international effort has generated widespread support for the latest ceasefire and raised hopes that it will last. In Israeli and Palestinian societies, strong majorities were in favor of an end to the fighting.

The war began with a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel in the early morning of October 7, 2023. Nearly 1,200 people were killed, mostly Israeli civilians, many of whom were attending a weekend music festival. It was the worst single-day attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948.

Israel unleashed a ferocious response that cost the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel’s sustained bombing campaign and relentless ground offensives have destroyed most of Gaza’s homes, schools, hospitals and businesses. Israel has limited its aid to Gaza throughout the conflict, leading to desperate shortages of food and medicine.

Gaza’s population of more than 2 million has been uprooted repeatedly throughout the war, with most residents now crowded into tent encampments in the southern part of the territory, near the border with Egypt.

The end of the fighting is expected to lead to a rapid increase in the supply of food and other basic needs.

But rebuilding homes, roads, water and electricity systems will be a project that will last many years.

And although the end of the war is now within reach, there is no clear road map for resolving the question of Palestinian political rights.

The plan calls for the withdrawal of Hamas after ruling Gaza for nearly two decades. It calls for “qualified Palestinians and international experts” to form a transitional government committee. Additionally, an international “Peace Council,” chaired by Trump, would oversee the committee and oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

On the crucial issue of Palestinian statehood, the plan offers a vague call for a “credible path to self-determination and Palestinian statehood” but provides no details.

Israel, meanwhile, emerged from the war in a much stronger security position after decimating Hamas in Gaza, criticizing Hezbollah in Lebanon and destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Yet Israel has been isolated internationally because of the manner in which it has waged the war in Gaza, inflicting numerous civilian casualties, limiting humanitarian aid and damaging much of the territory’s infrastructure.