Israel and Hamas have agreed on a historic ceasefire deal: hostages will be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu hails Trump, calling for a Nobel Peace Prize as international oversight begins.
For over two years, Israel and Hamas have been locked in a seemingly endless cycle of conflict. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost, families torn apart, and neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. Yet, on Thursday, a glimmer of hope emerged from the sands of Egypt, where diplomats and leaders gathered to ink a ceasefire agreement—a deal that has prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a bold declaration.
“Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!” read a post on the official X account of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel.
Netanyahu’s statement came moments after a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas was announced—a deal that could mark a turning point in one of the most entrenched conflicts in modern history.
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Gaza ceasefire: A Landmark Deal in Egypt
The historic agreement was finalized in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian briefed journalists on the details, outlining a carefully timed sequence of events designed to bring hostages home safely.
“The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all the hostages,” Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists.
The ceasefire will take effect “within 24 hours” of a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet scheduled for Thursday at 1400 GMT, Bedrosian said, and will be followed by a full government meeting at 1500 GMT.
“Now phase one stands very clear: all of our hostages, the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday,” she added.
Of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, 47 remain in captivity, 25 of whom the Israeli military says are deceased. In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the start of the war, a top Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Israel has not disclosed the names of those set for release.
One of the most sensitive aspects of the negotiations was the list of Palestinian prisoners Hamas wanted released. High-profile Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges, was reportedly on Hamas’s list.
But Israel confirmed that Barghouti, who is often described by supporters as the “Palestinian Mandela,” would not be part of the exchange.
Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction
The ceasefire also opens the door for urgently needed humanitarian aid. A minimum of 400 aid trucks will enter Gaza daily for the first five days, according to an AFP report quoting a Hamas source, with numbers set to increase in the following days.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said 153 trucks were already en route via the Rafah border crossing. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the agency is ready to “scale up its work to meet the dire health needs of patients across Gaza, and to support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system.”
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees welcomed the deal as a “huge relief” and signaled readiness to flood Gaza with food supplies. The deal also provides for the “return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north immediately,” the Hamas source told AFP.
Scheduled Withdrawals and Security Guarantees
Israel’s military will redeploy to an agreed “yellow line” within 24 hours, part of a framework of “scheduled withdrawals” overseen by mediators, including guarantees from Trump himself.
Yet, major questions remain. Trump’s 20-point peace plan calls for Hamas to be disarmed and for a transitional authority in post-war Gaza headed by Trump, points that are still unresolved. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope that the deal could pave the way for an independent Palestinian state, but Netanyahu and his cabinet have repeatedly vowed to prevent this outcome.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced he would not vote in favour of the deal. Meanwhile, a Hamas official said negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire would begin “immediately.”
The talks in Sharm El-Sheikh took place under tight security at a conference center. Footage broadcast by Al-Qahera News, linked to Egyptian state intelligence, showed negotiators from Hamas, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States embracing and walking in high spirits. However, Hamas and Israeli delegates remained in separate rooms, with mediators shuttling between them, underscoring the delicate and tense nature of the process.
International Oversight and Support
Turkey, deeply involved in the negotiations, will participate in a task force to monitor the ceasefire.
“We will hopefully join the task force that will monitor the implementation of the agreement on the ground,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian aid and pledging support for reconstruction.
Even Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, welcomed the agreement. “Iran has always supported any action and initiative that includes stopping the genocidal war, withdrawal of the occupying forces, bringing in humanitarian aid, releasing Palestinian prisoners and realising the fundamental rights of the Palestinians,” the foreign ministry said.
(With inputs from AFP)