Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Gaza peace deal, says Trump

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.

Trump made the announcement on social media, calling it a breakthrough in efforts to end the conflict.

Qatar, one of the key mediators, confirmed an agreement on “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” of the first phase.

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump said, “You’ll see people getting along and Gaza will be rebuilt.” He added that it would be a “different world” with “wealth spent in Gaza.” Trump expressed confidence that the region would become “a much safer place” and that neighboring countries “want to see that happen” because “they have tremendous amounts of wealth.” He concluded, “I’m very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the ceasefire a “momentous opportunity” to build a “credible political path forward” toward a two-state solution. He praised the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey in achieving the agreement and said the UN would now “scale up” aid deliveries and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. “All hostages must be released in a dignified manner,” Guterres added. “The suffering must end.”

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israeli forces continued to carry out airstrikes in Gaza. Fighter jets bombed western areas of Gaza City, including at least one house in the Shati camp. Troops also detonated an armored vehicle loaded with explosives near homes in the Sabra neighborhood, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Meanwhile, Hamas said it had “submitted lists of Palestinian prisoners” to Israel according to the criteria agreed upon in the [ceasefire] agreement, and was awaiting final approval of the names. The Israeli military said it “welcomes the signing” of the deal, adding that its Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had “instructed all forces … to prepare with strong defence and to be ready for any scenario.”

Trump’s announcement came after weeks of negotiations in Egypt involving US envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Middle Eastern mediators.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social, “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Correspondent Alan Fisher said there had been no sign of progress until Donald Trump presented his 20-point plan on September 29 after meeting Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. He noted that Trump’s team was determined that the ceasefire announcement would come from Trump himself, making it clear that the Americans wanted him to be the one to declare it.

Fisher added that Trump had managed to achieve what Joe Biden had failed to do — deliver a ceasefire in Gaza. He remarked that although challenges remained and the later phases still needed clarification, the first phase represented a major step toward stopping the violence and starting reconstruction.