Share and Follow
() As Israelis and Palestinians celebrate the initial approval of a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas, new details have emerged about the moments leading up to the deal being reached.
On Wednesday, ’s Kellie Meyer was at the White House for a roundtable event when Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered the State Dining Room and passed a note to President Donald Trump.
After they left the room, sources confirmed to Meyer that a deal had been reached.
A short time later, Trump confirmed in a social media post that the two sides had agreed to “the first Phase” of a peace plan he had outlined in September, paving the way for the release of 20 living hostages and relief for nearly 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Trump later offered a timeline of when the hostages could be released in a phone call with the families of hostages.
He said the hostages could be returned as soon as Monday and hinted he would travel to the Middle East to be there for their release.
Since announcing the deal, Trump has extended his thanks to mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey who worked to help broker the agreement.
Full details of the ceasefire have yet to be released.