From faint peace hopes to certainty: how today’s dramatic events unfolded
Donald Trump was at an event at the White House when Marco Rubio entered the room. Within hours, the President made the announcement everyone had hoped for but dared not believe would happen.
Donald Trump was at a roundtable event at the White House about Antifa on Thursday (AEDT) when Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered the State Dining Room.
Mr Rubio handed Mr Trump a note, whispering in his ear as the US President was telling reporters the Israeli and Hamas ceasefire negotiations taking place in Egypt could soon see a deal reached.
As Mr Rubio left the room, Mr President said he would be “needed quickly” in Egypt, and minutes later followed his secretary of state out the door.
An hour later, Mr Trump made the announcement everyone had hoped for but dared not believe would happen: Israel and Hamas had agreed phase one of his peace plan, with the Israeli hostages to be freed soon and Israel’s military to withdraw to an agreed line.
Here is how the day unfolded.
5.30am: Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi invites Donald Trump to Egypt to sign a deal if a ceasefire is agreed, thanking the US President for his efforts so far.
6am: Arab and Israeli media speculate that a deal could be reached in the next 36 hours, with the mediators in Sharm el-Sheikh asking both sides to tie up a deal by Friday (local time).
Arab media reports there had been progress on the list of prisoners to be freed by Israeli, and Jerusalem’s guarantee not to return to war after all the prisoners had been released. Hamas agrees to release all the living hostages, but says it will take time to retrieve the bodies of the dead.
7am: Donald Trump says he “may go to the Middle East” at the weekend, with a ceasefire agreement close. An Israeli official tells local media the warring sides were preparing to announce an agreement on Friday (local time).
8:04am: Marco Rubio enters the State Dining Room where Donald Trump is holding an Antifa event and passes him a note that says the deal is close, adding: “We need you to approve a Truth Social post so you can announce the deal first.”
Mr Trump tells reporters: “I just got a note from Secretary Rubio that we are close to a deal in the Middle East and they will need me soon.”
8.35am: Donald Trump heads into the Oval Office with Mr Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt says Mr Trump is considering travelling to the Middle East on Friday, after a medical examination.
9am: The Al-Mayadeen channel, which is close to Hama reports that the militant group has agreed to the terms of the deal and that it would be signed in Egypt in hours.
9.15am: The Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reports that the most controversial points regarding the Israeli hostages and Israeli military withdrawal have been settled and Donald Trump would soon announce the agreement.
The newspaper reports that the agreement stipulates the release of the surviving 20 Israeli hostages in one go in the first phase of its implementation. It adds the agreement includes guarantees from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Israel won’t return to war.
9.30am: Channel 12 TV broadcasts photographs of Hamas leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya and senior Hamas officials smiling during the negotiations, with Israeli and Qatari negotiators shaking hands as a deal is reached. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is also seen in the background.
9.52am: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tweets on X: “With God’s help – we’re bringing everyone back.”
9.53am: Donald Trump announces Israel and Hamas have agreed to phase one of his peace plan. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump says: “Very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of our peace plan. This means that all hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw its forces to an agreed line as the first steps towards a strong, durable and lasting peace.”
He adds: “All sides will be treated fairly! This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all the countries surrounding it, 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!”
10am: The Hostage Families Forum thanks Mr Trump for achieving the ceasefire. The families say in a statement: “The families receive the news of the signing of the agreement to return all 48 kidnapped people and the kidnapped woman with excitement, anticipation and apprehension. This is important and significant progress on the path to returning everyone, but our struggle is not over yet and will not end until the last kidnapped person is returned. The government must convene and approve the agreement immediately. Any delay could exact a heavy price from the kidnapped people and the soldiers. We are convinced that the prime minister will ensure an absolute majority for the implementation of the agreement reached.”
New media post from Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/4swabvc1lM
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 8, 2025
10.15am: Hamas officially accepts the deal, saying in a statement: “We announce the reaching of an agreement to end the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation from it, the entry of aid and the exchange of prisoners.
“After responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and the Palestinian resistance factions regarding President Trump’s proposal in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the aim of reaching an end to the war of annihilation against our Palestinian people and the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip; Hamas announces the reaching of an agreement that ends the war on Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation from it, the introduction of aid and the exchange of prisoners.”
The militant group adds: “We greatly appreciate the efforts of the mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and thank US President Donald Trump for his efforts to bring about a final end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip. We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic, and international parties, to oblige the occupation government to fulfil all of the obligations of the agreement, and not to allow it to evade or delay the implementation of the agreements.”
10.20am: Benjamin Netanyahu says he will convene his government to approve the deal, saying today is a “great day for Israel.”
Mr Netanyahu says in a statement: “A great day for Israel. I will convene the government tomorrow to approve the agreement and bring all of our precious hostages home. I thank the heroic IDF soldiers and all of the security forces whose courage and sacrifice have enabled us to reach this day. I thank President Trump and his team from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages. With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all of our goals and expand peace with our neighbours.”
10.48am: Mr Netanyahu says he and Mr Trump spoke on the phone immediately after the president announced the deal, with Mr Netanyahu congratulating the president on his achievement and inviting him to address the Knesset.
“The two had a very moving and warm conversation, and congratulated each other on the historic achievement in signing the agreement to release all the hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office reported.
It added: “The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for all his efforts and his global leadership, and President Trump congratulated the Prime Minister for his determined leadership and the actions he led. The two agreed to continue their close co-operation. The Prime Minister also invited President Trump to address the Israeli Knesset.”
11.30am: An official signing ceremony takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the same room where the negotiations took place. Israeli media reports that under the agreement, Israel would control 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip until the last of the hostages is released. The surviving hostages are expected to be freed on Sunday, with the bodies of the dead handed over on Monday.
Aid will also return in full to the Strip, with 600 aid trucks entering the enclave per day.
11.45am: Mr Trump tells Israeli media he will visit the country in the coming days. He also expressed his willingness to address the Knesset. “This is a great day for Israel and the world,” the president said. “They want me to speak in the Knesset, and I will certainly do so if they want me to. My conversation with Bibi was great. He is happy – and rightly so. This is a great achievement. The whole world mobilised to reach this agreement, including countries that were once enemies.
12.20pm: Mr Trump appears on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox TV, saying the world had “come together” for the deal.
“Thank you to everyone involved. The world came together to make a deal,” he says. “Even countries you wouldn’t have thought of – they all signed. This is a great time in history. It’s good for Israel, for Muslims and for the US. For many years, peace in the Middle East has been talked about. Thanks to what we were able to bring – we have removed all the clouds that could have prevented this deal.”
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