Hamas agrees to US-brokered deal to free hostages as Israel signals troop pullbacks
Hamas has agreed to a US-brokered plan to halt fighting in Gaza and release all remaining hostages, two years after the 7 October 2023 attacks, according to statements from President Donald Trump and officials involved in the talks.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said both sides had “signed off on the first phase” of a peace plan that would see hostages freed “very soon” and Israeli forces withdraw to an agreed line. He thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, calling it a “historic and unprecedented event”. Speaking later on US television, he suggested releases could begin as early as Monday.
Israeli media said a formal signing could take place in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh as soon as Thursday. Images from the resort appeared to show senior figures from Israel, Hamas and Qatar in a negotiation room, with handshakes exchanged after days of intensive talks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed what he described as a “great day for Israel”, saying he would convene his cabinet to approve the agreement and “bring all our dear hostages home”. He thanked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and President Trump “for mobilising for this sacred mission”.
Hamas issued a statement saying it had reached an agreement “that ends the war on Gaza, provides for the withdrawal of the occupation, allows the entry of aid and implements a prisoner exchange.” The group linked its acceptance to what it called “responsible and serious negotiations” on Trump’s proposal.
Families of the captives, who have campaigned for months for a comprehensive release, praised the breakthrough and urged swift implementation. They said 48 people remained in Hamas custody, including the bodies of some who died in captivity or during the conflict.
Precise terms remain opaque and may shift as legal texts are finalised. People familiar with the draft say the initial phase envisages a full hostage release in exchange for a staged pullback of Israeli troops and a large-scale prisoner exchange. Earlier iterations of the US blueprint included provisions to surge humanitarian aid and start planning for Gaza’s reconstruction under a temporary, technocratic Palestinian administration, overseen by an international board chaired by Trump alongside former UK prime minister Tony Blair. It was not immediately clear how much of that structure has been retained.
Two points could prove contentious in the days ahead. First, timelines: earlier proposals envisaged all hostages freed within 72 hours of signature, but Hamas has suggested recovery of remains could take longer amid widespread destruction. Second, weapons: Washington had pushed for Hamas to disarm as part of a permanent ceasefire; the group has publicly signalled concerns about disarmament and about whether Israel would refrain from renewed operations once hostages are released.
Israeli officials said the government would review the text in full before a vote. Defence Minister Israel Katz called the expected release a “blessing” and credited battlefield pressure for driving Hamas to accept terms.
The announcement caps months of stop-start diplomacy led by Qatar and Egypt, with the US increasingly hands-on in recent weeks. Mr Trump threatened that if Hamas spurned the plan, Israel would have full US backing for renewed military action. The prospect of a sweeping exchange, reportedly including hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, appears to have helped break the stalemate.
For Israel, the hostage question has dominated domestic politics and military planning. For Hamas, a ceasefire that halts Israeli incursions, opens aid corridors and offers amnesties to fighters who disarm would be a significant tactical gain, even as it faces intense criticism over the 7 October attacks and the conduct of the war.
If the signing goes ahead on Thursday, attention will immediately turn to logistics: the sequencing of releases, verification mechanisms, and the line to which Israeli forces would withdraw. Aid agencies have urged rapid, safe access to deliver food, medicine and shelter across Gaza, warning that conditions in some areas are close to famine.
Longer term, the agreement punts harder questions to follow-on tracks: who governs Gaza during reconstruction; how to police borders and prevent rearmament; whether a broader political process can revive the moribund two-state horizon. The US plan stops short of defining a pathway to Palestinian statehood, but Arab capitals backing the blueprint have made clear they expect a political track alongside the security arrangements.
For now, the bar is more immediate: that hostages come home alive, families receive the remains of those who did not survive, and guns fall silent long enough for a shattered strip to breathe. After two years of relentless war, even a fragile first step will be judged by what moves on the ground in the coming days.
By I. Constantin
