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Israel and Hamas agree on first-phase peace deal, hostages set for release

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National Heraldpublisher-detail-arrow
09th October, 2025 10:19 IST

In a dramatic turn that could reshape the Middle East, the release of hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops signal a landmark diplomatic triumph, with Donald Trump celebrating it as a “Great Day for Peace.”

In what has been hailed as a historic turning point in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a US-brokered peace deal — a moment that comes exactly two years and a day after the devastating 7 October Hamas attacks that ignited the war.

The accord, crafted under the stewardship of US President Donald Trump, marks the first tangible progress toward ending a brutal conflict that has scarred the Middle East and shaken global politics.

Announcing the breakthrough on Truth Social late Wednesday, Trump declared, “Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. 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.”

He added triumphantly, “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America.”

The announcement followed a moment of high drama in Washington earlier in the day. During a closed-door meeting with journalists, secretary of state Marco Rubio was seen whispering urgently into the President’s ear — conveying that the warring sides, negotiating in Cairo under Egyptian mediation, were on the verge of a deal.

Hamas ties hostage release to full Israeli withdrawal in Gaza ceasefire talks

The breakthrough comes after months of painstaking diplomacy, setbacks, and intermittent violence. Negotiations had been suspended several times — most dramatically when an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in Qatar that housed Hamas negotiators.

But diplomatic momentum surged when Trump personally phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging restraint, and rallied leaders from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to pressure Hamas into engagement.

According to reports from The Jerusalem Post citing Arab media, the formal signing of the peace accord is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Cairo — with Trump hinting that he may fly to the region as early as Saturday.

The first phase of the Trump Peace Plan — a 20-point blueprint — envisions the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas, followed by Israel’s phased military withdrawal from Gaza. In exchange, Israel is expected to release a large number of Palestinian prisoners and allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged enclave.

Predictably, both Israel and Hamas have framed the deal as their own victory.

Prime Minister Netanyahu proclaimed, “With God’s help, we will bring them all home.”

Meanwhile, Hamas issued a statement saying the agreement would “ensure the occupation’s withdrawal, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange.”

The group even extended a rare acknowledgment to Trump, expressing appreciation for his “efforts aimed at permanently ending the war and securing the full withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza.”

The stakes could not be higher for Hamas. Cornered militarily and diplomatically, and with much of Gaza reduced to rubble, the militant group faced the very real prospect of annihilation if it had rejected the deal.

The war’s toll has been staggering. The 7 October 2023, Hamas attack left 1,250 Israelis dead and around 250 taken hostage. In Israel’s retaliatory campaign, Gaza’s health ministry says over 67,000 Palestinians — mostly civilians — have been killed, while the United Nations has warned of famine-like conditions under the continuing blockade.

Global outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe and growing international isolation pressured Netanyahu to seek an off-ramp, even as hardliners within his own coalition denounced any deal that stopped short of a total occupation of Gaza.

For Trump, the Gaza deal represents a dramatic diplomatic resurgence after the collapse of his earlier bid to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine. Determined to secure a legacy-defining moment, the former president reportedly took personal charge of the Gaza file, dispatching Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, to steer the process.

The ultimate vision, according to Trump’s peace plan, is the creation of a “technocratic, apolitical” Palestinian administration to govern Gaza, overseen by an international board chaired by Trump himself — with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair playing a central role in reconstruction and governance.

Speaking to Fox News shortly after the announcement, Trump hinted that Iran, which was not directly involved in the Gaza negotiations, had “blessed” the deal and could soon be part of a broader Middle East Peace Compact.

If the Gaza peace initiative holds, analysts say it could revive and expand the Abraham Accords, the hallmark of Trump’s first term, which normalised Israel’s relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.

“This agreement has the potential to reshape the region once again,” a senior US official told reporters. “It brings us closer to a future where Israel and the Arab world coexist in stability, not hostility.”

As the world watches, the scene is set for what could be the most consequential handshake in decades — between bitter enemies united by exhaustion, necessity, and the faint hope of peace.

Trump ended his post with a flourish, quoting the words of Jesus Christ: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

For a region long defined by blood and bitterness, those words have never sounded more urgent — or more fragile.

With IANS inputs

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