A Palestinian official familiar with the indirect negotiations held between Israel and Hamas in Egypt this week regarding US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which resulted in their agreement early Thursday to implement the first phase of the plan, reported that the agreement includes Hamas releasing 20 living detainees it has held for two years in the Palestinian territory all at once.

The official told AFP, requesting anonymity, that “the agreement includes Hamas handing over 20 living Israeli detainees all at once in the first phase of implementation.”

A source within Hamas familiar with the negotiations also told AFP that the exchange of Israeli detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails “will take place within the first 72 hours” of the agreement’s implementation, which was reached in Cairo early Thursday.

The first phase of the agreement, according to Hamas sources, includes “the exchange of living Israeli prisoners, the release of 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment, and 1,700 detainees arrested after October 7, 2023, along with scheduled Israeli withdrawals.”

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of the peace plan, explaining that all detainees will be released soon and that Israel will withdraw its forces to an agreed line in preparation for a “strong and lasting” peace.

Trump added on the Truth Social platform early Thursday that all parties will be treated fairly, describing the day as “great for the Arab and Islamic worlds, for Israel, and for the United States,” thanking Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their roles in achieving what he called a “historic and unprecedented event.”