President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a hostage exchange and ceasefire that could lead to an end of the conflict.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” the President wrote on Wednesday. “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. All Parties will be treated fairly!”
Last week, Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza. On Friday, Hamas agreed to release all remaining captives and enter into negotiations to hammer out the details of Trump’s framework.
The indirect talks between Israeli and Hamas officials began on Sunday. The US, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar served as mediators.
For Hamas, the agreement is viewed as a gamble on Trump’s ability to restrain Netanyahu from breaking the agreement. Hamas is giving up most of its remaining leverage by agreeing to free all the remaining Israeli captives at the start of the ceasefire.
The source close to the Hamas negotiators told Drop Site News, “Trusting [Trump’s] word is the gamble they are taking. If it works, they will be considered geniuses. If it fails, they will be considered fools. It’s as simple as that.”
Netanyahu has repeatedly broken and violated the agreements. Last year, Tel Aviv entered into a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to end cross-border fighting and withdraw Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. While Hezbollah has halted attacks on Israel and withdrawn from the border region, the IDF continues to conduct regular strikes in Lebanon and has not withdrawn its forces.
Last week, the UN reported Israel had killed over 100 Lebanese civilians since the ceasefire went into effect almost a year ago.
Additionally, Netanyahu agreed to a phased hostage exchange and ceasefire with Gaza brokered by Trump in January. After dozens of Israeli captives were freed, Netanyahu broke the deal by resuming military operations and imposing a total siege of Gaza.
