Hamas accepts Trump peace deal, ending two-year war

Hamas agreed to a peace deal pushed by President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and return hostages, two years after the terror network attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering not only the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust, but also a deadly war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Trump made this announcement Wednesday on Truth Social: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed the first phase of our peace plan. This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops along an agreed line as a first step towards a strong, lasting and eternal peace. All parties will be treated fairly! This is a BIG day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, everyone. surrounding nations 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! »

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week agreed to the 20-point US plan that calls for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of the 48 hostages still being held, 21 of whom are still alive, according to the Forum on hostages and missing families.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House April 7, 2025 in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

TRUMP UNVEILS 20-POINT PLAN TO ENSURE PEACE IN GAZA, INCLUDING GRANTING AMNESTY TO SOME MEMBERS OF HAMAS

The exact terms of the deal – which Israeli and Hamas negotiators traveled to Egypt to negotiate on Monday – remain unclear. Although, according to the initial agreement, Hamas would have to disarm completely in exchange for an end to the Israeli military operation, more humanitarian aid to the Palestinians would be delivered to the enclave and planning for the reconstruction of Gaza could begin.

Under these terms, Hamas would also have obtained an “amnesty” for those who voluntarily surrendered their weapons, and once all the hostages had been returned, Israel would release “250 life-sentenced prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.”

All hostages were also supposed to be released within 72 hours of a deal being reached – although Hamas signaled on Saturday that this may be unrealistic, saying some of the deceased would be buried under rubble.

Hamas appears to have accepted part of the initial conditions presented by the Trump administration. But he also indicated this weekend that he was concerned about its disarmament and about Israel’s reliability not to recommit to its military ambitions once the hostages are returned.

Details on various aspects of the original agreement remain ambiguous, including the international “Peace Council” that would be led by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee the administration and reconstruction of Gaza.

Trump said last week that “leaders from other countries” would be named to the board at a later date.

Hamas terrorists form a formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, February 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The 20-point plan also states that the Gaza Strip, in the near future, “will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for ensuring the day-to-day management of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza.”

The plan, backed by Arab and Middle Eastern countries, was presented to Hamas late last month by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.

Although both countries – as well as several new Western countries constituting 157 of the UN’s 193 member states – support the creation of a Palestinian state, the plan did not directly pave the way for achieving that state.

A separate group of experts, “who have contributed to the birth of some of the Middle East’s thriving modern miracle cities,” would develop an economic reconstruction plan.

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People take part in a demonstration in front of the US Embassy demanding an end to the war and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illéan)

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Despite concerns over comments from Trump and his administration, no one would be forced to leave under the latest US plan, which also prevents Israel from annexing Gaza.

Instead, according to the terms of the agreement released last week by the White House, “we will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

Trump warned that if Hamas did not accept the deal, Israel would have the full support of the United States to carry out its operational plans in Gaza.