CAIRO/GAZA/WASHINGTON - An agreement was reached on Thursday to establish a ceasefire and end the war in Gaza after two years of suffering and woes, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan announced that the ceasefire agreement will go into effect immediately after the Israeli government approves it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the new agreement and decided to convene his cabinet later in the day to approve the deal.
"A great day for Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that the agreement includes the release of "all" hostages still held in the enclave. Of the 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, Israel believes about 20 are still alive.
"With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel," he said.
The cabinet is expected to meet later Thursday to vote on the deal, according to the PM's office. Several key members of Netanyahu's far-right coalition, including pro-settler ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have repeatedly voiced opposition to any agreement with Hamas and publicly called for the rebuilding of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Trump
US President Donald Trump had said on Wednesday on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of a Gaza 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 toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace," Trump wrote.
He thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for the "historic and unprecedented event."
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day at the White House, Trump said he may travel to the Middle East "sometime toward the end of the week."
Positive progress
The Hamas delegation participating in the current round of ceasefire negotiations with Israel showed "positivity and responsibility" in achieving the required progress and completing the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Taher al-Nunu, the media advisor to the head of Hamas's political bureau, said Wednesday.
In a press statement, al-Nunu said the mediators "are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire," noting that "a spirit of optimism prevails among all."
The current round of indirect ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, began Monday in the Sharm el-Sheik city of Egypt.
Al-Nunu said the negotiations focused on "mechanisms for implementing the end of the war, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners between the two sides."
"The lists of prisoners required to be released were exchanged today according to the agreed-upon criteria and numbers," he said. "Indirect negotiations are continuing with the participation of all parties and mediators."
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Signing ceremony
Sisi on Wednesday invited Trump to attend a signing ceremony for a potential agreement to end the war in Gaza, should ongoing negotiations succeed.
In a televised speech during the Police Academy's graduation ceremony, Sisi addressed Trump directly, saying, "It would be truly wonderful if, should an agreement be reached, you could attend its signing."
"I invite President Trump, in the event of reaching an agreement, to be present for the signing of this accord in Egypt," he added.
Trump said Wednesday he may travel to the Middle East this weekend as a Gaza deal is "very close."
"Negotiations are going along very well," Trump said at the White House. "I may go there sometime toward the end of the week."
Since Oct 7, 2023, Israeli airstrikes have devastated the Gaza Strip, causing widespread famine and displacement, and killing at least 67,183 people and injuring 169,841 others, according to Gaza's health authorities.
