Phase One: Israel and Hamas Say Yes To A Gaza Ceasefire — What’s In It, What’s Next, And Whether It Sticks

Israel and Hamas have both agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan for Gaza. The announcement landed late Wednesday into Thursday local time, with President Donald Trump saying the parties “signed off” on Phase One. The initial bundle calls for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, an Israeli military pullback to a defined line inside Gaza, a pause in fighting, and a large prisoner exchange. Street scenes in Tel Aviv and Gaza ran the gamut from relief to disbelief. Cabinet action in Israel and implementation steps are expected within days. 

US President Donald Trump says Gaza will soon have a peace plan. Despite optimism from all sides, the details are murky and it’s uncertain how well the final deal will hold. pic.twitter.com/gQvtYVMGUN

— TaiwanPlus News (@taiwanplusnews) October 9, 2025

What Phase One does

Phase One is the practical on-ramp. Its core pieces: a ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal to an agreed line posted by the White House days ago, releases of all remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge of humanitarian aid. Early reporting puts the prisoner figure as high as roughly 1,700 within 72 hours of signature, though officials still need to publish final lists. The working number of living hostages has hovered around twenty, a grim figure that tracks with Israeli assessments. Expect verification and sequencing language to be tight, with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey in the room to police timelines.

What’s happened so far

Trump posted that “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon” and that Israel will withdraw “to an agreed upon line.” Israel’s government signaled it would move the deal for approval and begin the preparatory steps that allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to stage transfers. In both Gaza and Israel, crowds marked the moment. This follows a week of shuttle mediation in Egypt and a public map of the withdrawal line that the White House pushed out as a pressure tactic.