Key details revealed on first phase of Gaza agreement brokered in Egypt

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed, through indirect talks held in Egypt this week, to begin the first phase of his peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

Qatar, which helped mediate the negotiations alongside Egypt, the United States, and Turkey, said that both sides had agreed “on all terms and implementation mechanisms for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.” This phase aims to end the war, release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote that the agreement between Israel and Hamas “means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

The agreement is expected to be signed in Egypt on Thursday afternoon.

According to a senior Hamas official, the movement will release 20 hostages alive in exchange for Israel freeing more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners — including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detained since the war began two years ago.

A Palestinian source familiar with the talks told AFP that the prisoner exchange should take place within 72 hours of the agreement’s implementation, adding that “the deal was approved by all Palestinian factions.”

The source also said the agreement, to be officially signed in Egypt on Thursday (09:00 GMT), includes the entry of at least 400 aid trucks per day into the Gaza Strip “during the first five days after the ceasefire begins.” The number of aid trucks is expected to increase in the following days.

The deal also allows displaced people from the southern parts of Gaza to return to Gaza City and northern areas once implementation starts, the source added.

In a statement, Hamas called on Trump to pressure Israel to “fully commit to the agreement and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”

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