Key events
World leaders have expressed hope for peace and urged Israel and Hamas to fulfil their commitments in the hours after Donald Trump announced the agreement on the “first phase” of a ceasefire deal.
Here’s how some of the leaders responded, care of the Associated Press.
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British prime minister Keir Starmer said the news was “a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world”. “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.”
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Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said: “This development offers a semblance of hope after months of unbearable suffering and devastation.”
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Argentine president Javier Milei posted on social media: “I want to take the opportunity to say that I will sign the candidacy of Donald J Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to international peace. Any other leader with similar achievements would have received it a long time ago,” the libertarian leader and Trump ally wrote.
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Canadian prime minister Mark Carney posted: “I am relieved that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families. After years of intense suffering, peace finally feels attainable.”
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Australian PM Anthony Albanese described the agreement as a “ray of light”. It brought “hope that after eight decades of conflict and terror, we can break this cycle of violence and build something better”.
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Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters: “This agreement is an important step toward de-escalating the situation and achieving the two-state solution.”
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New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters said: “Over the past two years, both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely. Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”
With the Associated Press
United Nations secretary general António Guterres has welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement, describing it as a “desperately needed breakthrough” and calling on all parties to “abide fully” by its terms
Guterres said in a post on X:
All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once and for all. Immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end.
Guterres also said the UN would support the full implementation of the deal and “will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza”.
I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, leading to a two-state solution to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.
The stakes have never been higher.
Airstrikes hit Gaza after truce deal, say Palestinian authorities
Gaza’s civil defence agency has reported several strikes on the territory on Thursday after the announcement that Hamas and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire plan.
“Since the announcement last night of an agreement on a proposed ceasefire framework in Gaza, several explosions have been reported, particularly in areas of northern Gaza,” said one of the agency’s officials, Mohammed Al-Mughayyir.
He cited “a series of intense airstrikes” on Gaza City, Agence France-Presse reports.
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”, Agence France-Presse reported.
Celebrations have broken out in Israel and Gaza after Donald Trump’s announcement of the Israel-Hamas agreement.
Crowds gathered near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, clapping and cheering in what one Palestinian described as “historic moments” after two years of conflict.
The mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, Einav Zangauker, celebrated the imminent return of her son, saying: “Thank you to the people of Israel, to the soldiers, thank you to President Trump.”
You can see the footage here:
Welcome and summary
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, bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict that has killed ten of thousands, destabilised much of the Middle East and prompted protests across the world.
Donald Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social network, saying all of the hostages held in Gaza would be released soon and Israel would withdraw troops to an agreed line as the first step to an “everlasting peace”.
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In his Truth Social post – thanking mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey – Trump said: “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 group said in a statement the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over 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 “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 in the White House last week.
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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 will come out in a later stage in phases. The Israel army will 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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The Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organisation 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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A Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Israel and Hamas 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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World leaders have welcomed the development, with the British prime minister expressing “profound relief”.
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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.
