Israel’s cabinet approved the first phase of a U.S. brokered ceasefire deal with Hamas on Oct. 9 after negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
President Donald Trump’s 20 point plan to end the conflict, posted on X, lays out a ceasefire, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops to a predetermined line, the release of all Israeli hostages, dead and alive, within 72 hours, a trade for Palestinian prisoners and additional humanitarian aid.
President Trump celebrated the agreement on the signing off of the first phase of the ceasefire deal in a post on TruthSocial, emphasizing peace as the future.
“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 said.
Hamas, the Iranian-backed militant group, started the war on Oct. 7, 2023 when 1200 Israelis were killed, with an additional 251 taken hostage, of which half were released in a previous deal. 20 are believed to be alive today, according to the Washington Post.
Israel’s subsequent response to the attack has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
On social media earlier today, Witkoff announced that the 72 hour window for Hamas to free the captives had started and that U.S. Central Command verified the IDF’s pullback to agreed boundaries. Hamas agreed not to hold ceremonies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the agreement in a speech after the cabinet formally approved the ceasefire’s first phase. He called it a “great day for Israel,” claiming it secured the release of all remaining hostages without requiring a full withdrawal from Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and five other notable members of Religious Zionist parties voted against the first phase of the ceasefire, threatening again to “bring down the government.”
Lead Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya announced in his own speech last night that all women and children who were arrested after Oct. 7 will be freed.
“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” al-Hayya said.
Masses gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to celebrate the ceasefire.
“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” cried displaced Palestinian Ahmed Sheheiber over the phone from his Gaza City shelter after hearing about the agreement.
Einav Zangauker’s son, Matan, is still a captive of Hamas. He expressed his hopes that this ceasefire will finally reunite him with his son in a social media post.
“Matan returns home to me, to Natalie and Shani, to Ilana, the love of his life, to you, to the country. For these tears, I prayed,” Zangauker said.
