Donald Trump claims that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ‘Peace Plan’ for Gaza, days after last ‘deadline’ passed

Israel and Hamas approve the first step of the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to Trump.
Image via Business Insider

US President Donald Trump has claimed that the first part of his plan for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza and a captive exchange has been agreed upon by Israel and Hamas. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” he wrote on Truth Social.

He added, “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.”

The declaration follows three days of indirect negotiations to end the two-year long conflict which were mediated by representatives of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States. Hamas and Israel both acknowledged that an agreement had been struck.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home.”

He further conveyed, “I thank the heroic soldiers of the IDF and all the security forces, thanks to whose courage and sacrifice we have reached this day. I thank from the depths of my heart President Trump and his team for their mobilization for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages. With the help of the Almighty, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbours.”

“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,” Netanyahu remarked in another post.

According to Israel, up to 20 of the 48 hostages in captivity are still alive, while the remaining 28 have passed away. Hamas stated that they “value the efforts of US President Donald Trump, who seeks to bring about a definitive end to the war” and that the agreement includes an exchange of hostages and prisoners, an Israeli pullout from Gaza and the release of aid.

Trump, the guarantor nations and other Arab states were also urged by Hamas to force Israel “to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”

“Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday,” a senior White House offical expressed, reported BBC. Trump later confirmed the timeframe. The dead captives will be released gradually at a later date.

The ceasefire will take effect immediately upon Israeli government clearance, according to a senior Palestinian source who spoke to the BBC at approximately 14:00 Jerusalem time (11:00 GMT). According to the official, Israel will permit 400 aid trucks to enter Gaza every day for the first five days, with a gradual increase in subsequent phases.

The Israeli army will also withdraw from 70% of the region and Israel would free several hundred Palestinian captives. Hamas officials disclosed that prominent individuals like Marwan Barghouti who many Palestinians view as a potential president were on the list of prisoners that the group had sent to mediators in Egypt. It’s unclear if Israel has consented to his release.

A new bloody chapter was added to the long history of conflict between the two sides when Hamas slaughtered at aleast 1200 Israeli citizens and took 251 hostages on 7th October 2023 after which the Jewish state initiated a military expedition to neutralize the terrorist group in Gaza.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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