Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal built off United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan aimed at ending Israel’s war on Gaza.“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line”, Trump said on his Truth Social platform, announcing the ceasefire agreement late on Wednesday.Under the first phase of the plan, Hamas and other Palestinian factions are required to release 20 Israeli captives held in Gaza who are believed to be alive, and the bodies of 28 others in the Palestinian territory. Israel is required to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners it holds in its jails, based on a list shared by Hamas. This includes hundreds of people from Gaza whom Israel has arrested since the start of the war in October 2023.In a separate phone interview with Fox News on its Hannity programme, Trump said Israeli captives held in Gaza could be released on Monday.Israel and Hamas subsequently confirmed the agreement, though key differences remain over their interpretations of how Trump’s broader plan is to unfold.The announcement followed three days of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm e …
