‘Blessed are the peacemakers’: Israel, Hamas sign ceasefire deal
The surviving hostages are set to be freed on Sunday local time, with the bodies of the dead handed over on Monday, while the IDF remains in 53 per cent of Gaza until the last hostage is released.
Israel and Hamas have officially signed a ceasefire deal in Egypt, after President Trump announced the two sides had agreed to the deal that would release all Israeli hostages in the first step toward what he called “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”
According to the agreement, Israel will remain in 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip until the last of the hostages is released, Israel’s Channel 12 reports. The surviving hostages will be freed on Sunday local time), with the dead hostages handed over on Monday.
As happened in the last ceasefire, 600 aid trucks a day will also be allowed into Gaza.
Hamas earlier confirmed a broad deal had been reached to end the war, allow more humanitarian aid, and facilitate “a prisoner exchange” – a reference to the release of Israeli hostages for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Arab government officials who mediated the talks said Hamas would let the remaining living hostages go as soon as Sunday morning.
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America,” Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, congratulating each other on the ceasefire and hostage deal signed tonight in Egypt, with Prime Minister Netanyahu thanking Trump for all his efforts and global leadership while… pic.twitter.com/hDOsRAJPiY
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 8, 2025
The president’s announcement marks a breakthrough in what had been eight months of stalled negotiations after he took office, bringing Mr Trump closer to a top foreign-policy goal of ending the war in Gaza. It came together in less than a month after an Israeli strike on Qatar, a U.S. ally that harbours Hamas officials, heightened fears the war was spinning out of control and brought new pressure on Israel from Mr Trump and on Hamas from leaders in the Muslim world.
Mr Trump employed some of his most trusted advisers – his friend, real-estate investor Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner – to bridge the gaps leading to Wednesday’s announcement.
It is believed there are 20 living hostages of about 250 people kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched a surprise assault that killed 1,200 Israelis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would hold a vote with his government to ratify the deal on Thursday. “A great day for Israel,” he said. “With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all of our goals and expand peace with our neighbours.”
Earlier in the day at the White House, Mr Trump was interrupted while speaking to reporters at the White House and handed a note by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After reading it, the president said: “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.” The note encouraged the president to approve a Truth Social post so he would be the first to announce a deal, according to a photograph.
“I may go there sometime toward the end of the week,” Mr Trump said from the White House when discussing his potential trip to the region. “Maybe on Sunday actually.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a follow-up statement that Mr Trump is considering going to Egypt, where the talks are being hosted, after his annual check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday. He didn’t rule out visiting Gaza during his trip.
Mr Kushner and special envoy Mr Witkoff are in Egypt trying to close a deal to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a pause in the fighting.
They joined the third day of talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where negotiators have been trying to iron out the differences that still exist between Israel and Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner arrived Wednesday along with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, and Ron Dermer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser.
Hamas has tentatively accepted a 20-point peace plan announced by Mr Trump last week, but has signalled it has reservations, including over how far and precisely when Israeli troops in Gaza will pull back.
Earlier on Wednesday, people close to the talks were more cautious, saying there were significant sticking points that have bedevilled peace negotiations for months.
The Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that started the war. Around 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive.
Hamas wants clearer timelines and commitments for the withdrawal of the Israeli military. It also says it would need at least 10 days to locate bodies of dead hostages, according to people close to the talks. Israeli officials believe it will be very difficult for Hamas to locate all the remaining bodies of hostages.
Mediators also are discussing a possible partial deal to release only some of the hostages at first, some of the people familiar with the talks said. It would be a fallback to keep talks from collapsing after U.S. officials asked the mediators to warn Hamas the talks would end if no agreement is reached by the end of the week.
Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism in recent days that a deal is likely to be reached, even as mediators say significant issues have yet to be settled.
“I think we’re doing very well,” Mr Trump said Monday. “Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important,” he added without providing details.
If the plan is adopted, Mr Trump would chair a “Board of Peace” that would oversee the interim governance of Gaza. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would play a role in that effort.
Representatives for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, groups that hold some of the Israeli hostages, were also in Egypt for the talks.
The Wall Street Journal
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