Israel, Hamas sign off on Phase 1 of Gaza plan, Trump says – DW – 10/09/2025

Majid Al Ansari, advisor to the Prime Minister of Qatar and spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, confirmed an agreement “on all provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement”.

“This would lead to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid into Gaza,” he wrote on Twitter.

Qatar was mediating ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, which began on Monday in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Responses and confirmations have started coming from Israel on this first phase deal. Here are some of them.

Prime Minister Netanyahu

“A big day for Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“Tomorrow I will call on the government to ratify the agreement and bring home all our beloved hostages. I thank the heroic IDF soldiers and all security forces – thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have reached this day.

President Herzog

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “Israel’s heart beats in solidarity with the hostages and their families.”

“As the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “They will return from the enemy’s land… and the children will return to their own borders”, he wrote on X.

hostage family

The account of the Bring Them Home Now, Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it received news of the agreement’s signing “with a mixture of excitement, anticipation and concern.”

It said the deal to return the 48 hostages held in Gaza (of whom only 20 are believed to survive) represents “significant and meaningful progress toward bringing everyone home, but our struggle is not over and will not end until the last hostage is returned.”

Hamas has announced that it has reached an agreement that provides for an end to the war in Gaza.

The Palestinian militant group said in a statement that it “has reached an agreement to end the war in Gaza, withdrawing the occupation, the entry of humanitarian aid and the exchange of prisoners.”

It also called on US President Donald Trump to force Israel to fully implement the agreement and “not to allow procrastination or delay in implementing what has been agreed.”

US President Donald Trump has announced on his social media platform Truth Social that Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas have signed the first phase of his Gaza peace plan.

Trump’s announcement comes as Hamas and Israeli officials hold indirect talks in Egypt on a 20-point peace proposal put forward by Trump to end the two-year-old war.

“This means that all hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line as a first step toward a strong, durable, and lasting peace,” Trump said in the announcement.

Hamas is currently believed to be holding 48 Israeli hostages whom it captured during the October 7 terrorist attacks. It is believed that less than half of those hostages survive.

“With God’s help, we will bring them all home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after Trump’s announcement, referring to the Israeli hostages.

The announcement could also mean relief for Palestinians after more than two years of war in Gaza.

Hamas urged Trump and the mediator countries to ensure that Israel implements its side of the agreement. The United States, Germany, and many other countries consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

Trump may visit the Middle East this weekend

Trump had earlier said in the White House that he would go to the Middle East if there is any success regarding Gaza.

Trump said he would “probably go to Egypt” but would also consider going to Gaza.

On Monday, the White House said Trump would Will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for his annual routine checkup and then possibly depart for the Middle East.

“President Trump is considering visiting the Middle East soon after,” White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement.

The Spanish Parliament has approved into law an arms embargo on Israel over the war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had already imposed the measure by decree in September. But Parliament had to ratify the decree within 30 days for it to become law.

There were 178 votes in favor and 169 against the vote.

Sanctions ban all types of trade defense equipmentproducts or technology with Israel.

It also bans the transit of aviation fuel with potential military use to Israel through Spanish ports and airspace.

The text allows the government to make exceptions for dual-use defense equipment “if the application of the ban would harm the general national interest”.

Israel’s embassy in Spain criticized the original plan, calling it “a reprehensible and condemnable decision”.

This live blog focuses on the latest events in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of his Gaza peace plan.

Follow along for the latest news, analysis, videos and on-the-ground reporting from DW on Trump’s unprecedented announcement.

This comes exactly two years after the October 7 Hamas attack and the beginning of Israel’s war on Hamas.