WASHINGTON, Oct 9 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas signed off on the first phase of a US-proposed Gaza deal, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
"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," he said on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
Trump added that all parties will be "treated fairly".
He described the moment as a "great day" for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, the surrounding nations, and the US.
The President thanked all the mediators, including Turkiye, "who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen."
"Blessed are the peacemakers," he said.
Earlier, Trump said he may travel to Egypt this weekend as negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were showing signs of progress.
"I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday," he told the press, noting there is "a very good chance" of progress in the talks.
"I was just given a note by the secretary of state (Marco Rubio) saying that we are very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they are going to need me pretty quickly," Trump said.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have been underway in Egypt since Monday to discuss Trump's plan to end the conflict.
According to the state-run Al-Qahera News channel, the list of participants also includes US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The 20-point plan, announced on September 29, includes the release of Israeli captives in Gaza, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas. The Palestinian group agreed to the plan in principle.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
