Israel has agreed to the first phase of the Gaza peace plan as Donald Trump heralded the agreement as the first step towards “a strong, durable, and everlasting peace.”
The ceasefire marks what could be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war began two years ago, though key disputes threaten to derail the deal before it takes hold.
Trump said on social media that “ALL of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the plan “a great day for Israel”.
In a separate statement reported by Reuters, Hamas said it would “end the war in Gaza,” guarantee the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces, and allow humanitarian aid into the territory.
The plan comes two years after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 67,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
When hostages will be released
The agreement’s first phase is designed to pause fighting and secure the release of at least some hostages and prisoners.
After the initial 24 hours, a three day window will then come into force where hostages and prisoners will be exchanged.
Speaking from the White House on Friday, Trump said he expected the Israeli hostages to be returned by Monday or Tuesday.
A senior White House official told the Associated Press that Israeli forces would withdraw to an agreed boundary once they give the green light.
CNN cited Israeli sources saying Hamas may not know the location of, or be able to retrieve, the bodies of 28 deceased hostages expected to be returned in a later phase.
Dr Ahron Bregman, of King’s College London, recently told The i Paper that Hamas would “likely insist it needs time to release the hostages, especially locating bodies which may be trapped under rubble,” warning that “there may be some bodies which are never found.”
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in the Gaza Strip (Photo: Ariel Schalit/AP)When prisoners will be exchanged
According to the 20-point text published by the White House, Israel will release 250 prisoners serving life sentences and a further 1,700 Gazans detained after 7 October 2023.
A Palestinian source told the BBC that Hamas had not yet received the final list of names. Within Israel, ultranationalist members of Netanyahu’s coalition have already voiced opposition to freeing convicted attackers, making the vote politically fraught.
Yossi Mekelberg, of Chatham House, recently told The i Paper that releasing prisoners “deemed to be serious offenders who may pose a future threat to Israel” would open Netanyahu to heavy criticism. But he added that the pressure to end the war “at home and abroad” may leave the prime minister with little room to resist.
Both sides are also contesting sequencing — who moves first, and how each stage will be verified.
The reconstruction of Gaza and control of aid
Trump’s plan sets out that Gaza will be run by a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” under international supervision, overseen by a “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump and joined by former UK prime minister Tony Blair.
Hamas has rejected the idea, saying any international trusteeship would violate Palestinian sovereignty. Arab countries backing the plan insist it must lead to full independence for a Palestinian state — something Netanyahu has ruled out “under any circumstances.”
Israel’s defence establishment has also voiced unease about the scale of reconstruction required. Gaza’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and UN agencies say more than 80 per cent of its population has been displaced. Aid access remains limited, and the question of who controls distribution is politically charged.
Netanyahu has also opposed restoring authority to the Palestinian Authority, despite US pressure to involve it. Hardliners within his coalition are likely to resist any framework that prevents Israel from maintaining a long-term security presence in Gaza.
Palestinians celebrate on a street following the news that Israel and Hamas have agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza (Photo: Reuters)The future of Hamas’s political role
A central condition of the US plan is that Hamas must decommission its weapons under the supervision of independent monitors. In return, fighters who renounce violence would be offered amnesty or safe passage abroad.
Bregman recently told The i Paper that Hamas would “likely insist on keeping light weapons, saying it has the right to protect itself.” He said that even limited access to weapons, combined with the return of released prisoners, could allow the group “to create the next Hamas leadership.”
Hamas has repeatedly said it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established. The demand for total disarmament has stalled every previous ceasefire effort, and there are doubts over how such a process could be verified in practice.
The US proposal also bars Hamas and other factions from any role in future governance. The group’s leaders have signalled that they expect to retain some administrative presence in Gaza even after the ceasefire. Israeli officials insist that any continued role for the group is unacceptable.
The tension over Hamas’s political survival may become one of the most immediate tests of the plan’s durability.
The role and safety of foreign security forces
Trump’s plan calls for an International Stabilisation Force to deploy in Gaza once Israeli troops withdraw.
US officials have said about 200 troops are being sent to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Yvette Cooper said there are “no plans” for British or European troops to enter Gaza, but the force, composed of Arab and international partners, would train vetted Palestinian police and help secure border areas with Israel and Egypt.
Israel has accepted the concept in principle, though details remain unclear. Security analysts told the Associated Press that any foreign deployment could be vulnerable to renewed fighting or attacks from rogue factions.
The Stabilisation Force is intended to provide a bridge between Israeli withdrawal and full Palestinian self-administration, but it may struggle to operate effectively in such a volatile environment.
Two people embrace ahead of a memorial ceremony for the victims of the October 7 2023 attacks at the Nova Festival grounds in Reim, southern Israel (Photo: John Wessels/AFP)The path to Palestinian statehood
Arab states have endorsed the agreement only on the understanding that it leads to a credible path toward Palestinian statehood. Trump’s plan refers instead to “self-determination,” a phrase that stops short of state recognition.
Netanyahu has said that Israel will “forcibly resist” efforts to recognise a Palestinian state, despite growing international pressure.
Last month, the UK joined France and other allied nations in announcing it would recognise a Palestinian state, saying Palestinians had an “inalienable right to self-determination.”
Sarah Pinfold, of the University of Warwick, recently told The i Paper that Palestinian statehood “was not realistic any time soon” without a credible Palestinian government ready for recognition, warning that the issue “may be kicked down the line by negotiators” only to “rear its head again in the near future.”
Without a clear commitment to statehood, regional support for Trump’s peace plan could falter.
Whether the deal can hold
World leaders have urged both sides to uphold the agreement. UN secretary-general António Guterres said “the suffering must end” and promised the UN would support “full implementation” of the deal.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “a moment of profound relief”, while Australia’s Anthony Albanese described it as “a much-needed step towards peace”.
But some observers remain doubtful. Yousef Munayyer of the Arab Center in Washington DC told Sky News the plan’s success “depends on whether or not Donald Trump can rein in Benjamin Netanyahu.”
He added: “The entire world is relying on a convicted felon in the White House to ensure that an indicted war criminal that leads the Israeli government is going to do the right thing … I’m very sceptical it moves beyond the first phase.”
For now, Trump’s agreement has paused a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives. Whether it can deliver more than that — or survive the politics on both sides — remains far from certain.
Arab states have also endorsed the agreement only on the understanding that it leads to a credible path toward Palestinian statehood. Trump’s plan refers instead to “self-determination”, a phrase that stops short of state recognition.
Without a clear commitment, regional support may falter. Netanyahu’s categorical rejection of Palestinian independence leaves one of the region’s longest-standing disputes unresolved.
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