Gaza ceasefire live: Israel ‘preparing to receive’ hostages as Trump says he will be ‘involved’ in keeping peace | Israel
Israeli military ‘preparing to receive’ hostages The Israeli army has said it is “preparing to receive” the hostages held in Gaza. “The Chief of Staff instructed to be prepared to lead the upcoming operation to return the abductees with sensitivity and professionalism,” the Israel Defense Forces posted in Arabic on X. The military also welcomed…
Israeli military ‘preparing to receive’ hostages
The Israeli army has said it is “preparing to receive” the hostages held in Gaza.
“The Chief of Staff instructed to be prepared to lead the upcoming operation to return the abductees with sensitivity and professionalism,” the Israel Defense Forces posted in Arabic on X.
The military also welcomed the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Key events
Starmer speaks of ‘profound relief’ at news of deal
Jessica Elgot
British prime minister Keir Starmer, who is in Mumbai, has spoken about the news. He said:
“I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
“This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years.
“I am grateful for the tireless diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and the United States, supported by our regional partners, in securing this crucial first step. This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“We call on all parties to meet the commitments they have made, to end the war, and to build the foundations for a just and lasting end to the conflict and a sustainable path to a long-term peace. The UK will support these crucial immediate steps and the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan.”
The Israeli military has also issued a warning telling Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza “until official instructions are issued” as it remains a combat zone.
Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said in a post on X (translated below):
Important announcement to all residents of the Gaza Strip
The area located north of the Gaza Valley is still considered a dangerous combat zone
IDF forces are still encircling Gaza City, where returning to it is considered extremely dangerous
For your safety, refrain from returning to the north or approaching areas where the Defense Forces are concentrated and working everywhere in the Gaza Strip, including in the south and east of the Gaza Strip, until official instructions are issued.
Further to our earlier post on the Israeli military readying to receive hostages under today’s agreement, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson said on social media that the military would be prepared “for every scenario”.
Avichay Adraee posted on X that the army welcomed “reaching an agreement to return the hostages, which is expected to be signed tonight”.
He said:
During a situation assessment conducted tonight, the Chief of Staff ordered all forces on the front and in depth to prepare a strong defensive stance and be ready for every scenario.
The deployment of forces will be carried out according to the directives of the political level and the stages of the agreement, and will be done responsibly while maintaining the security of our soldiers.
Adraee also said the chief of staff had ordered preparations to lead the anticipated operation to return the hostages “with sensitivity and professionalism”.
What are the main unknowns after today’s ceasefire plan agreement?
Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out.
These include the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas, as Reuters reports.
There is no clear indication who will rule Gaza when the war ends. Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has run Gaza since driving out Palestinian rivals in 2007.
Trump’s original 20-point plan envisions a role for the Palestinian Authority but only after it has undergone major reforms.
Trump: US will play role in keeping post-war Gaza ‘safe’
Donald Trump has said the US will play a role in helping to rebuild Gaza and keep it safe and peaceful.
“We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful, and helping it stay peaceful,” the president told Fox News hours after he announced Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his peace plan.
Trump added that he was “very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East”, AFP reported.
Israeli military ‘preparing to receive’ hostages
The Israeli army has said it is “preparing to receive” the hostages held in Gaza.
“The Chief of Staff instructed to be prepared to lead the upcoming operation to return the abductees with sensitivity and professionalism,” the Israel Defense Forces posted in Arabic on X.
The military also welcomed the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In Gaza, as night fell in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in the south, an AFP contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation before Donald Trump’s deal announcement, with joyful chants of “Allahu akbar” – meaning God is greatest – and some celebratory gunfire into the air.
“We’re closely following every bit of news about the negotiations and the ceasefire,” said 50-year-old Mohammed Zamlot, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.
Analysis: Gaza truce deal a crucial moment but devil is in the detail
Andrew Roth
For Donald Trump, a peace deal – or even a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – could be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.
The details and sequencing of a deal to end Israel’s war in Gaza remain murky, but the statement of purpose by both Israel and Hamas is meaningful. In agreeing to a deal with political backing from Arab states and other regional powers, this is the best chance for an end to the war since a ceasefire broke down in March returning Gaza to a grinding war.
Since March there have been rumblings of a deal but nothing that has come this close. The first phase of the plan is straightforward: the return of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a limited withdrawal by the Israeli military. But locating all the hostages, and managing an Israeli withdrawal, could be complicated.
There is so much left to be discussed. The 20-point peace plan proposed by the Trump administration attempts to thread the needle between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a lasting end to the war. The hard questions of Hamas’ future and whether the militant group will disarm, along with Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza, remain to be hammered out.
We have been here before. And yet, this is a crucial moment.
You can read the full analysis here:
Summary
In case you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of today’s major news of a deal being reached on the war in Gaza.
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Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza.
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The US president thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, saying in a post on his Truth Social platform: “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.”
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Hamas said it had reached the agreement, confirming the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the territory and a hostage-prisoner exchange. The militant group said the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over the Trump’s proposal.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the US “for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages” and said that “with God’s help, we will bring them all home”. Netanyahu said he would convene the Israeli government on Thursday to approve the deal.
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In recent days negotiators have been meeting in Egypt to close gaps between Hamas and Israel over the details of the “first phase” of a 20-point plan announced by Trump at the White House last week.
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The Hostages Families Forum, representing many of the hostage families, said it received the news of a ceasefire with “excitement, anticipation and apprehension”. It called on the Israeli government to immediately convene to approve the deal, and praised Trump for his “commitment and determination that led to this historic breakthrough”.
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Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The deceased hostages would come out in a later stage in phases. The Israel army would move out of 70% of the area, they said. In exchange, several hundred Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released.
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A Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The agreement “will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”, said Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the mediators of the deal. He said the details would be announced later.
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It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarise – as Trump has demanded – and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.
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UN chief António Guterres welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement, calling on all parties to “abide fully” by its terms.
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Trump said earlier that a deal was almost done and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday.
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The war began with Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.
With reporting from Ima Caldwell
Reaction has begun coming in from Israel and Gaza after today’s reported deal on the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“I can’t believe the news,” a Palestinian man, Ayman Saber, said of the announcement.
The Khan Younis resident said he planned to return to his home in the city and try to rebuild his house, which was destroyed in an Israeli strike last year.
“I will rebuild the house, we will rebuild Gaza,” he said.
The Associated Press also quotes Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandmother was freed and grandfather was killed in captivity, as thanking world leaders for helping secure the deal, saying in a statement:
We express our deepest gratitude as the historic agreement has been signed – the hostages, our brothers and sisters, are coming home.
From the 20 hostages returned, four are from Lifshitz’s community, including lifelong friends. “This united cooperation and shared moral responsibility have proven that when the right people stand together, humanity prevails,” he said.
“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” said Ahmed Sheheiber, a displaced Palestinian from northern Gaza, at of the truce agreement.
Crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City, he said he was waiting “impatiently” for the ceasefire to go into effect to return to his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Hamas to swap 20 living hostages for almost 2,000 prisoners in first phase – militant source
Hamas will exchange 20 living hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, a source in the militant group has told Agence France-Presse.
The hostages will be released in exchange for 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 others arrested by Israel since the war began, the source added.
The exchange would take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Thursday, the source said.
It’s not immediately clear whether Israel and Hamas have made any progress on the thornier questions about the future of the Gaza war, including whether Hamas will demilitarise – as Donald Trump has demanded – and eventual governance of the devastated territory.
But as the AP notes, today’s agreement “nonetheless marked the most momentous development since a deal in January and February that involved the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners”.
Trump set to visit Israel in ‘coming days’ – report
Donald Trump has said he is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days and expressed willingness to speak before its parliament, according to an Israeli journalist.
Barak Ravid said in a post on X on that the US president had told him in a phone interview:
I am expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days. This is a great day for Israel and the world. They want me to speak in the Knesset, and I will definitely do so if they want it that way.
Ravid said Trump added:
My conversation with Bibi was great. He is happy – and rightfully so. This is a big achievement. The whole world rallied to reach this agreement, including countries that were previously enemies.