Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire deal with hostage releases, Trump announces peace plan

Israel and Hamas agree to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal, marking a major diplomatic effort by President Donald Trump. Under the first phase, Hamas releases the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, while Israel begins a partial military withdrawal. However, the deal faces severe political strain as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from far-right allies to reject disarmament terms, and Hamas conditions its weapons decommissioning on a full Israeli withdrawal.

Gaza ceasefire agreement

• ▪The Gaza ceasefire agreement mandated that Israel allow 400 aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily during the first five days of the truce.
• ▪Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal under a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.
• ▪The Gaza ceasefire agreement required Israel to partially withdraw its military forces to an agreed-upon line, leaving Israel in control of approximately 53% of the Gaza Strip.

Hostage release operations

• ▪Hamas released the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages on October 13, 2025, as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
• ▪Israel began the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees on October 13, 2025, in exchange for the returned Israeli hostages.
• ▪Hamas transferred the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages to the Israeli military on October 13, 2025.

Trump Middle East diplomacy

• ▪US President Donald Trump and international mediators officially signed the Gaza peace agreement at a world leaders' summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025.
• ▪US President Donald Trump appointed former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair to sit on a transitional peace board to help administer the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu political response

• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not publicly state whether he accepted the Gaza disarmament agreement more than three days after US President Donald Trump unveiled it in August 2026.
• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that any future Palestinian governance must leave the sovereign power of security in the hands of Israel to prevent threats to its survival.
• ▪Far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strouk formally urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block the entry of the International Stabilization Force into Gaza.

Hamas disarmament terms

• ▪Hamas conditioned its disarmament on Israel withdrawing its military forces to the original demarcation line defined by the October 2025 ceasefire agreement.
• ▪Hamas agreed to hand over its weapons and governing power in Gaza to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a group of independent technocrats.

Gaza reconstruction planning

• ▪The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres committed the United Nations to scaling up humanitarian relief and supporting reconstruction efforts in Gaza following the ceasefire agreement.
• ▪US President Donald Trump stated that the reconstruction of Gaza requires its demilitarization and that he would disclose which nations are funding the rebuilding efforts.

Debatable claims

• ▪The United States should pressure Israel to accept the Gaza peace plan
• ▪Israel should block the entry of the International Stabilization Force into Gaza
• ▪Israel should retain permanent security control over the Gaza Strip
• ▪Israel demands the full disarmament of Hamas before it will withdraw from the Gaza Strip.