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ISRAEL and Hamas have finally agreed to release the hostages trapped in Gaza after a brutal 15-month war, says Donald Trump.
The world had been waiting with bated breath as negotiators hammered out the peace deal, which is believed to have been confirmed today.
Hopes for a ceasefire plan, brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, had been in the works for over a year, with numerous rumours surrounding a resolution in the past 24 hours.
Newly-elected President Donald Trump said earlier this week “there had been a handshake”, fuelling positive expectations of a peace deal.
The Republican has now posted on Truth Social appearing to confirm the deal.
He said: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
On October 7, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack, killing over 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducting 250 others.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, with over half the casualties reported to be women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Any ceasefire deal to finally end the fighting is yet to be officially confirmed by Israel but mediators and sources close to terror group Hamas did announce it earlier today.
Three officials from the US also said that a deal has now been reached.
While a senior Israeli official said exact details are still being arranged with an official vote on the Gaza deal coming on Thursday.
Any plan will need to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet and then his full Cabinet.
Both are dominated by Netanyahu’s allies and are likely to approve any proposal he presents.
The ceasefire will spark hope that the remaining hostages taken on the horror October 7 bloodbath will finally return home to their families after months of agony.
Initial reports say that 33 hostages will be reunited with their loved ones over a six week period.
An official said the hostages released at first would be those “in very bad shape” while the rest of those held in Gaza would follow.
The Israeli official also said they assume most of the 33 are alive but can’t be sure.
Some 100 people are still said to be held captive inside Gaza but the Israeli military believes at least a third are dead.
Hamas previously accepted a draft agreement for a peace deal in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, it is believed.
THREE-PHASE AGREEMENT
The ceasefire is built around a three-phase plan that aims to address both the hostage crisis and the broader humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase that includes gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to north Gaza, says an official briefed on the agreement.
It will require 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day of ceasefire, 50 of them carrying fuel, with 300 of the trucks allocated to north.
The first phase will focus on the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The hostages released in the initial phase are reportedly in critical condition, including one-year-old Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli captive.
During this phase, Israeli forces will withdraw from population centers in Gaza, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to what remains of their homes.
Humanitarian aid is expected to flood the region, with 600 trucks of supplies entering Gaza daily.
The second phase will see Hamas release the remaining hostages, primarily male soldiers, in exchange for further prisoner releases and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In the third and final phase, the bodies of hostages who did not survive captivity will be returned to their families.
In exchange, Gaza would receive a three- to five-year reconstruction plan overseen by international authorities.
Despite optimism from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the deal was “right on the brink,” last-minute disagreements have delayed final implementation.
A key sticking point is the timeline for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, with mediators still working to finalise the terms.
“The ball is now in Hamas’s court,” Blinken remarked on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgency of reaching an agreement.
The ceasefire marks a potential turning point in a conflict that has devastated the region.
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What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
