Negotiators in Egypt reached a deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza and eventually end the Israel-Hamas War, US President Donald Trump announced early Thursday morning.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote.

“This 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.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he will bring the cabinet for a vote on the deal Thursday.

N12, citing a senior American official, stated that the hostages will be released 72 hours after the cabinet approves the deal.

“The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day,” Trump told Reuters in a brief telephone interview.

“This is a great day for the world. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody,” he said.

Living hostages to be released in a single batch

The agreement means that Hamas will release all of the remaining 20 living hostages within the next 72 hours. A Hamas source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that all of them will be released in a single batch during the first phase of the deal. 

The deal is expected to be signed in Egypt on Thursday afternoon, sources in the Hamas terrorist organization told Lebanese outlet al-Mayadeen.

However, the release of the remaining deceased hostages might be delayed, as Israel has doubts that Hamas can locate all of them.

The Israel-Hamas War began over two years ago after the Palestinian terror group killed over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 men, women, and children to the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.