Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a Gaza peace deal. Now what?

White House

Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump during an event at the White House Source: SIPA USA / Francis Chung/POLITICO/Sipa USA

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of United States President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza. The ceasefire and hostage deal could be a first step toward ending a bloody two-year-old war that has roiled across the Middle East.


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TRANSCRIPT:

United States President Donald Trump was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers in the White House when Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House's Blue Room, caught his eye with a note.

“Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East and they’re going to need me pretty quickly.”

It quickly became clear that an agreement had in fact been reached.

Mr Trump, Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza, an agreement reached after long-term talks brokered by Turkish, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators.

There have been jubilant reactions to the news in Gaza itself.

Wael Radwan is among the Palestinians in Khan Younis who have taken to the streets in celebration, crowds gathering near Nasser Hospital, clapping and cheering.

"We are very happy that the war stopped. This is something joyful for us and we thank our brothers and anyone who contributed even if verbally to stop the war and to stop the bloodshed."

There is also jubilation amongst the families of the hostages still held by Hamas.

Natalie Zangaukler is the sister of hostage Matan Zangaukler, and they gathered in a Tel Aviv square to pop a bottle of champagne with former hostage Omer Shem Tov.

In Australia, the Opposition’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Michaelia Cash, says the signed deal should inspire hope in Australia and across the world.

Those sentiments have also been expressed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Parliament.

"In the Middle East, the past two years have been full of dark days. Today we see a ray of light. Today the world has cause for real hope. Hope for the families of the hostages who have kept the two-year vigil that must have felt like an eternity. Hope for the people of Gaza who have endured suffering beyond imagining. And hope that after eight decades of conflict and terror, we can break the cycle of violence and build something better."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has outlined the immediate next steps.

"If an agreement is reached today, a ceasefire will be declared. Following the ceasefire, those held by both sides and agreed upon - hostages and remains in Hamas’s hands, those in Israel’s custody serving life sentences up to a certain amount, a certain number of Palestinians arrested after October 7 - will be released. There will be an exchange of these."

The White House expects the hostages will begin getting released on Monday.

However it’s unclear when the withdrawal will begin of Israeli troops to the so-called yellow line in Gaza, which is a boundary for an initial Israeli pullback under the Trump plan.

Even as the agreement was announced, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says Israeli military operations have continued in the city.

"In Gaza, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that Israeli military operations have continued, including in the Rimal and Zeitoun neighbourhoods in Gaza City, making the already dire humanitarian situation even more perilous."

But the Israeli Defence Force says Israel has eased its military campaign.

It says its forces killed several militants in Gaza City, who it said were on their way to attack Israeli soldiers.


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