President Donald Trump announced that Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal phase in a Gaza peace plan, marking a potential breakthrough in ending the war. Trump shared the development on Truth Social, writing that "After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas."
The US President said that when Hamas confirms the agreement, "the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation to Egypt to finalise technical details of the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu said in a brief statement that "our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days," expressing hope that hostages will be released "in the coming days."
Implementation challenges remain
Netanyahu signalled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, contradicting Hamas's long-standing demand as a condition for ceasefire. Israel's military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, with Hamas to be disarmed in the plan's second phase either diplomatically "or through a military path by us," Netanyahu said.
Hamas has agreed to release all remaining Israeli hostages, alive or dead, and accepted Trump's peace framework through mediators. Only HuffPost UK reports that Trump warned "all bets are off" if Hamas doesn't move quickly on the agreement.
The 20-point peace plan requires the release of 48 hostages remaining in Gaza within three days. Only HuffPost UK reports that Israel has scaled back but not completely ended attacks as of Saturday morning.
Recent violence precedes breakthrough
The peace announcement came hours after Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza that killed at least 22 people. The attack occurred shortly after Trump called for a halt to the bombing, saying Hamas was "ready for a lasting PEACE" and that Israel "must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza."
This Tuesday marks two years since the war began with Hamas-led terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. The attacks at a music festival and other locations killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 abductions.
Sources used: "Express", "Mirror", "HuffPost UK" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
