US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his plan to end the war in Gaza, with the agreement set to be signed in Egypt on Thursday according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

This announcement follows days of indirect talks held away from the public eye at the Sharm El-Sheikh resort in Egypt, involving American, Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari mediators to end a devastating two-year conflict between the parties.

Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, “I am proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase” of the plan.

He added that the agreement “means that all hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its forces to the agreed line, which are the first steps toward a strong, lasting, and eternal peace.”

On the platform X, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said, “Mediators announce that tonight all terms and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have been agreed upon, leading to the end of the war, the release of Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.”

In the Al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza, celebrations erupted following the announcement of the agreement.

Samir Joudeh, displaced from the Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City to Mawasi Khan Younis, told AFP, “Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn’t hold myself back, tears of joy fell from my eyes.”

He added, “Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and constant fear of dying at any moment.”

He continued, “It’s like a holiday celebration… there is chanting, ululation from women, children running and singing…”

Signing on Thursday

A source familiar with the negotiations, who requested anonymity, said the “official signing” of the agreement will take place “in Egypt on Thursday around noon (09:00 GMT).”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will convene his government on Thursday “to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home.”

A Hamas source told AFP that the first phase of the agreement includes the release of Israeli hostages held alive in Gaza and more than two thousand Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

The source explained that the Palestinian detainees to be released by Israel include 250 serving life sentences and 1700 arrested after October 7, 2023, the date of Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel which caused 1219 deaths, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

The first phase will also include “scheduled” Israeli withdrawals from Gaza.

A Palestinian official said the live hostages to be released number twenty Israelis.

Trump said in a recent TV interview that he believes the Israeli hostages will return on Monday.

He confirmed that the US will be part of the peacekeeping process in Gaza.

Following Trump’s announcement, Hamas said in a statement that an agreement was reached to end the war on Gaza, withdraw the occupation, allow aid entry, and exchange prisoners.

Hamas called on the US president to ensure Israel “fully implements the agreement’s provisions and does not renege or delay its application.”

UN Welcomes Agreement

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement, urging all parties involved to “fully respect its terms.”

Guterres said in a statement: “All hostages must be released humanely. A permanent ceasefire agreement must be reached. Fighting must end completely… suffering must end,” affirming that the UN is ready to increase humanitarian aid supplies and participate in rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump announced he might travel to the Middle East at the weekend after saying the negotiations that began four days ago in Egypt “are going very well.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi invited the US president to come to Egypt if the agreement is concluded.

Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, disarmament of Hamas, and gradual Israeli troop withdrawal from the territory.

It also stipulates that Gaza’s affairs be managed by a Palestinian committee of technocrats and international experts under the supervision of a “Peace Council” chaired by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hamas will have no role in governing Gaza.

Hamas confirmed its agreement to release hostages and to have an independent Palestinian body manage Gaza but did not address disarmament and stressed the need to discuss the plan’s provisions regarding Gaza’s “future.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed support for the plan, affirming it achieves Israel’s war objectives.

During Hamas’s attack on Israel, 251 people were kidnapped; 47 remain held, including deceased individuals.

The Israeli military campaign in response has killed at least 67,183 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health.

Tarik Al-Farra in Mawasi Khan Younis said: “The entire camp around us came out to celebrate the news and this historic moment we have long awaited. Now we eagerly await the announcement of the implementation start.”