Donald Trump has announced that Hamas and Israel have agreed on a 'peace plan' and has detailed when he expects hostages to be released.
The president said recently that he pushed Israel to 'agree' on a ceasefire amid the country's bombing of Gaza since October 2023, almost immediately following the Hamas-led attack of October 7.
Hamas have kept hostages from Israel over the past two years, and their release could be key in bringing an end to the conflict, which has left thousands dead in Gaza.
According to the BBC, the proposed 'initial withdrawal' as part of the 'peace plan' agreement would leave Gaza around 55 percent occupied, the second would then leave it about 40 percent occupied.
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And a final withdrawal phase should see a 'security buffer zone', which would leave roughly 15 percent of Gaza occupied by the Israeli military.
In a new development, Trump has announced that he expects Hamas to release all the remaining Israeli hostages on Monday (October 13), following a breakthrough on a peace deal.
Trump told Fox News: "The big thing is hostages are going to be released probably, our time, would be, probably Monday. They’re in a terrible situation there.
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"They’re deep in the earth, and they’re being gotten and a lot of things are happening right now as we speak. So much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they’ll all be coming back on Monday."
Taking to Truth Social, Trump added that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the 'first phase of our peace plan'.
The Republican president wrote: "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan.
"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! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"
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A senior White House official stated that the deal would be on the Israeli cabinet table on Thursday (October 9) for approval.
"The deal goes to the Israeli cabinet tomorrow. Once they vote yes, Israel has to withdraw to the line which should take under 24 hours," the official said, as per the New York Post.
"Then the 72-hour clock begins, and Hamas will try to go earlier if possible. Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday."
Topics: Donald Trump, Israel, World News
Callum Jones