Trump Announces Gaza Peace Plan Progress with Israel and Hamas

US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza.

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, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The announcement comes after three days of indirect talks in Egypt - mediated by officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US - aimed at bringing an end to the two-year conflict.

Both Israel and Hamas also confirmed an agreement had been reached.

However, Trump's post did not provide clarity on other known kicking points in negotiations - notably the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza.

In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a great day, adding that he would convene the government tomorrow to ratify the agreement and bring all of our precious hostages home.

Hamas confirmed that the agreement included an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a hostage-prisoner exchange.

The group also called on Trump, the guarantor countries, and other Arab states to compel Israel to fully implement the agreement's requirements.

A senior White House official told CBS, the BBC's US news partner, that our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday.

Qatari Foreign Minister Majed al-Ansari said more details would be announced later, adding that the agreement would lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.

Earlier on Wednesday, expectations that a deal could be imminent were heightened after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered an event with Trump and handed him a note.

The message appeared to ask that Trump approve a Truth Social post about Gaza so that you can announce first.

Trump stated that this note informed him that we are very close to a deal. He exited the room shortly thereafter, saying he had to focus on the Middle East.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reported that Israeli fire had led to at least eight deaths over the previous 24 hours – the lowest toll it has reported in the past week.

Hospitals stated that two individuals were killed while attempting to collect food from aid distribution centers in central and southern Gaza.

The Israeli military claimed it had killed several terrorists who attempted to attack their position in Gaza City.

Since an attack by Hamas on October 7, in which around 1,200 were killed and 251 taken hostage, the conflict has escalated dramatically. At least 67,183 have reportedly died in Gaza, including 20,179 children, according to its health ministry, numbers which Israel disputes.

The ministry noted that 460 additional deaths had occurred due to the effects of malnutrition amid documented famine in Gaza City.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has asserted that Israel is facilitating deliveries of food and aid and denied that starvation is occurring in Gaza.