Israel and Hamas Sign Ceasefire Proposal : Donald Trump

President Donald Trump announced late on Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas had "both signed off" on the "first phase" of a plan to end the two-year genocidal war on Gaza.

Writing on the social media platform Truth social, 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. 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.

Minutes later, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said an agreement had been reached on "all the provisions and implementation mechanisms" of the first phase of the ceasfire plan, "which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid".

"The details will be announced later," he added.

An Israeli government spokesman said they could expect captives to be released as early as Saturday.

A Hamas statement called on the US and other guarantor states to ensure that Israel implements the deal, which includes a withdrawal. The original plan includes a phased withdrawal.

In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "a great day for Israel".

"I thank from the depths of my heart President Trump and his team for their mobilization for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages."

Netanyahu added that he would convene his government to approve the agreement on Thursday and "bring the hostages home".

Earlier on Wednesday, Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas's negotiating team, said that Hamas had come to Egypt "to conduct responsible and serious consultations".

He said the delegation arrived with the explicit goal of ending the war, Israel withdrawing completely from the Gaza Strip, and the release of all Israeli captives, living and dead, in exchange for Palestinian captives detained in Israeli prisons, in accordance with the Trump plan.

Media reports have suggested the ceasefire could come into effect as early as noon local time on Thursday.

According to reports, by Sunday or Monday, Hamas is expected to release 20 living captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, though the final list is still pending approval.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces will begin a phased withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, it remains unclear what the withdrawal lines will be during the initial phase.

At least 400 aid trucks are expected to enter Gaza immediately after the agreement is signed, with the number expected to increase in the coming days.

Other terms of the deal, part of the US's so-called "peace plan," will be discussed at a later stage. These include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international forces in the territory, and additional provisions.

Trump unveiled his controversial 20-point plan last week, which gave general precedence to Israel's framing of the situation in Gaza and its stated security concerns.

Point one of the plan said: "Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours."

The proposal, which has been widely criticised by pro-Palestine advocates, also said that disgraced former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will serve alongside Trump on a transitional committee overseeing the strip.

US officials have suggested they want to initially focus talks on a halt to the fighting and the logistics of how the hostages and political prisoners would be released.

The plan originally proposed by Trump envisions an "international stabilisation force" to operate as peacekeepers in the enclave and a transitional interim government made up of technocrats.

The plan explicitly states that there will be no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza but floats a "Board of Peace" that would have Trump as its head, which has been criticised as a colonial venture.

The war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023, following a surprise Hamas-led attack on Israel. Hamas cited Israel's decades-long occupation, growing violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the crippling blockade of Gaza, and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners as the main reasons for its assault.

The Israeli army's southern command - tasked with monitoring Palestinians and maintaining the blockade along the Gaza boundary - collapsed during the initial hours of the Hamas attack, resulting in widespread chaos.

At least 1,180 people were killed in the assault. In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, followed by a devastating ground invasion that lasted two years, accompanied by a strict siege on the population.

Since then, more than 246,000 Palestinians have either been killed, wounded or are missing - with much of Gaza's infrastructure, including homes, schools, universities, mosques, churches, public spaces, and health centres, reduced to rubble.

Recent reports, based on Israeli military intelligence data, indicate that more than 80 percent of those killed in the enclave through May of this year were civilians.

There is a near consensus among genocide scholars and experts that Israel's war on Gaza constitutes a genocide, with countless human rights organisations and a UN inquiry committee drawing the same conclusion.