Gaza ceasefire deal: What we know so far about the ‘first phase’ of the peace plan

<p>US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the ‘first phase’ of his plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/09/first-phase-of-ceasefire-deal-to-end-war-in-gaza-agreed-by-israel-and-hamas">Full story: ‘First phase’ of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and Hamas</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/09/first-phase-of-ceasefire-deal-to-end-war-in-gaza-agreed-by-israel-and-hamas"> agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan</a></strong> to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza.</p><p><strong>In a post on Truth Social, thanking mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. He said: “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon</strong>, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”</p><p><strong>Hamas said it had reached the agreement</strong>, confirming the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange. The group said in a statement the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over Trump’s proposal.</p><p><strong>Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the US “for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages”</strong> and said “with God’s help, we will bring them all home.” Netanyahu said he would convene the Israeli government on Thursday to approve the deal.</p><p><strong>In recent days negotiators have been meeting in Egypt to close gaps between Hamas and Israel</strong> over the details of the “first phase” of a 21-point plan announ