Donald Trump announces Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Gaza peace plan

The US president said the “first phase” of his peace plan has been agreed to. The agreement would see fighting paused and some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners released.

The Prime Minister said: “I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

“This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years.”

The Prime Minister said the “tireless diplomatic efforts” of the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey had been crucial in moving towards a peace deal.

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Sir Keir said: “This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“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.

“The UK will support these crucial immediate steps and the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan.”

The Israeli government will meet at 8pm Jerusalem time (6pm BST) to discuss the deal - if it formally approves the deal, a ceasefire will go into effect. Hamas has confirmed the deal, but has not yet received the final list of prisoners that Israel plans to release in the exchange.

The US says all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza will be released on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “it’s a great day for Israel” and thanked Israeli troops and Mr Trump “for their mobilisation for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages”, and added: “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also said the “heart of Israel beats as one with the hostages and their families”, and posted a quote from the prophet Jeremiah on X: “They shall return from the land of the enemy … and children shall return to their borders.”

Hamas has said the agreement will “end the war on Gaza, ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange”. They added the people of Gaza “have demonstrated unmatched courage, honour and heroism”, and said: “We will never abandon our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”

Meanwhile the US president posted on the Truth Social social media platform last night to say: “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nation, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Mr Trump has since told Fox News that Gaza "will be rebuilt” after this first phase of the peace plan is implemented, saying it will “be a much safer place”.

If the Israeli government agrees to the deal when it meets at lunchtime, a ceasefire will immediately go into effect and Israeli troops will begin to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Israeli will also allow 400 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily over the following five days.

It is expected to take less than 24 hours for Israeli troops to finish withdrawing from Gaza. Once this is complete, Hamas has 72 hours to release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza. The White House says it expects 20 living hostages to be released on Monday.

The deal also includes the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. It is understood there are around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained by Israeli forces since the war began two years ago.