TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israel and Hamas pause the fight In Gaza, it released the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and accepted elements of the plan proposed by the Palestinians. trump administration Palestinians greeted Thursday with alarm. Possibility of breakthrough Toward the end of the tragic two-year war.
“This means all hostages will be released immediately and Israel will withdraw its forces to agreed front lines as a first step toward a strong, lasting, and everlasting peace,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media late Wednesday. “All parties will be treated fairly!”
Alaa Abd Rabbo, a native of northern Gaza who has been forced to relocate numerous times due to fighting, called the agreement a “godsend.”
“We are tired, we are displaced, and this is the day we have been waiting for,” he said from the central city of Deir al-Balah. “We want to go home.”
In Tel Aviv, remaining hostage family When the contract was announced, I cried tears of joy while drinking champagne.
Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages within days, while Israeli forces will begin withdrawing from most of the Gaza Strip, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the deal, which have not yet been fully made public.
Although some thorny aspects remain unclear, including whether Hamas will disarm and how it will govern Gaza, both sides appear closer than they have in recent months to an end to the war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed much of Gaza and sparked other armed conflicts across the Middle East. The war that started with Deadly attack by Hamas The October 7, 2023 massacre against Israel sparked protests around the world and raised allegations of genocide, which Israel denies.
Talks to reach a deal were held in Egypt this week, with a breakthrough at the end of the third day of negotiations.
Immediately after Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on social media that “with God’s help we will bring them all home.” Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would convene the government on Thursday to approve the deal.
Hamas called on President Trump and mediators to ensure that Israel withdraws its troops, brings aid into its territory and exchanges prisoners “without denial or delay.”
Ahmed al-Farah, head of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where many casualties were caused by the war, said he was still skeptical that Israel would implement the agreement given past experience, but said he was hopeful.
“We need to get back to life,” he said.
Trump’s peace plan
President Trump’s plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of 48 hostages still held by Gaza militants from an attack on Israel two years ago. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage by Hamas-led militants. It is believed that about 20 of the hostages are still alive.
President Trump said in a Fox News interview that Hamas would begin releasing hostages “probably on Monday.”
“This is more than Gaza,” he said. “This is peace in the Middle East.”
Under the plan, Israel would maintain an unrestricted military presence in the Gaza Strip and along the border with Israel. An international force consisting mainly of troops from Arab and Islamic countries will be responsible for security in the Gaza Strip. The United States will lead a massive, internationally funded Gaza reconstruction effort.
The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority, which Netanyahu opposes. But the authorities that control parts of the West Bank will need to undergo a radical reform program that could take years to implement.
President Trump’s plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu adamantly rejects.
Some Palestinians and Israelis expressed joy and relief at the significant progress, even though many details have yet to be agreed.
“Today is a big day and a great joy,” Ahmed Shehaiver, a displaced Palestinian from northern Gaza, said of the ceasefire agreement.
Crying over the phone from a shelter in Gaza City, he said he was “waiting” for the ceasefire to take effect so he could return to his home in Jabaliya refugee camp.
Joyful hostage families and their supporters poured into a square in central Tel Aviv, a main gathering point for the struggle to free prisoners.
Einav Zangaukar, the mother of Israeli prisoner Matan Zangaukar and a prominent hostage freedom advocate, told reporters that she wanted to tell her son that she loved him.
“If I have one dream, it’s to see Matan sleeping in my bed,” she said.
progress tips
Wednesday’s meeting in Egypt included Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Netanyahu’s top adviser Ron Dermer.
President Trump expressed optimism on the day, saying he was considering a visit to the Middle East within the next few days.
This is the third ceasefire agreement since the start of the war.
In the first incident in November 2023, more than 100 hostages, mostly women and children, were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners before it broke down. The second time, in January and February of this year, Palestinian militants released 25 Israeli hostages and eight more bodies in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel The ceasefire ended in March With a surprise bombardment.
pray for a successful deal
The number of experts including them continues to increase. commissioned by a United Nations agencysaid Israel’s attacks in Gaza amounted to genocide, an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 injured in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, said about half of the dead were women and children, part of the government run by Hamas. The United Nations and many independent experts consider that figure to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
In the Gaza Strip, Most of the territory is in ruinsPalestinians have longed for a breakthrough. Thousands of people fleeing recent Israeli ground attacks in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the coast in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
Reacting to the ceasefire announcement, Ayman Saber, a Palestinian from Khan Younis, said he would return to his hometown and try to rebuild his home, which was destroyed in an Israeli attack last year.
“I will rebuild my home. We will rebuild Gaza,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. Magdy reported from Cairo and Madani from Washington.
