The Latest: Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire, release of hostages and prisoners

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Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Under the plan, which is expected to be approved by Israel's Cabinet and parliament Thursday, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed plan to pause fighting, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza.

Here's the latest:

Barghouti, the most popular and unifying Palestinian political figure, has spent more than two decades In Israeli detention and is widely seen as a potential successor to President Mahmoud Abbas, the current leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

On Thursday, an Israeli government spokeswoman said Israel does not intend to release Barghouti as part of the agreement reached with Hamas. “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,” Shosh Bedrosian said.

Barghouti was arrested in 2002 and later given five life sentences by an Israeli court over deadly attacks during the 2000 intifada, or Palestinian uprising.

Hamas leaders have in the past demanded that Israel release Barghouti, a leader of the militant group’s main political rival, Fatah, as part of any deal to end the fighting in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly refused.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will “hopefully” take part in a task force “that will monitor the implementation of the (ceasefire) agreement on the ground.”

Erdogan did not provide further details Thursday.

He said getting humanitarian aid into Gaza urgently, ensuring the exchange of hostages and prisoners, and pressing Israel to stop its military actions and “retreat to the designated lines” are of utmost importance.

Turkey, which has close ties to Hamas, helped broker the agreement, along with the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Thousands of people have streamed into a square in Tel Aviv that has turned into the epicenter of the movement to bring home the hostages. Many sang and danced as they waved Israeli and American flags.

“It feels like we can finally see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel we have all been walking through,” said Einav Kahila, a 25-year-old student who came from Jerusalem. “There’s a lot of anxiety, also, because we’re always feeling unsure or insecure about the situation. But the people that came here today chose to be on the side of optimism.”

The celebrations appeared more muted than previous public reactions to ceasefires, reflecting the despair that has settled over the country as the war ground on for two years.

“Of course, it’s not over until it’s over, but today is a today we can have a little bit more hope,” said Avi Duek, who came to Hostages Square with his 14-month-old son.

A senior Hamas official has said five border crossings will be opened for aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, some 2,000 prisoners will be released and Israeli troops will withdraw from heavily populated areas as part of the U.S.-mediated deal to end the two-year war.

Osama Hamdan told the pan-Arab Al-Araby TV that 250 prisoners serving long sentences will be released in addition to 1,700 who were taken prisoner during the war in Gaza.

“We have put the names of all the commanders that we want released,” Hamdan said.

“The Israelis should withdraw from all heavily populated areas especially Gaza City, Khan Younis, Rafah and north Gaza,” he added.

The Israeli army is expected to start withdrawing on Friday but it could start as early as late Thursday, Hamdan said.

The head of paramedics in northern Gaza says the agreement between Israel and Hamas is a “moment of joy” because it means an end to the relentless bloodshed and killings that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Fares Afana said his team’s priority is to remove bodies from under the rubble and on the roads which were inaccessible during intense bombings.

“After two years of this genocide, injustice and oppression, we are physically and psychologically tired,” he added. “Only now after the ceasefire announcement, we can cry for our colleagues who were killed.”

Israeli tanks deployed on the main coastal road in Gaza have fired several rounds to push back a crowd of displaced Palestinians gathering there in hopes of returning to their homes in the north of the territory.

The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has not yet been ratified by the Israeli government and is yet to take effect. But hundreds of Palestinians have gathered on the coastal road at the intersection between north and south Gaza, in an apparent rush to return to their homes north.

Israeli military operations that began in late August in north Gaza has forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee south. The military had warned Palestinians against returning north, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.” It urged Gaza residents to wait until further notice.

In an Associated Press video, smoke was seen rising over the wide coastal al-Rashid road, as two tanks deployed to block access to the north. People fled to avoid what appeared to be gunfire over their heads.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to convene his Security Cabinet late Thursday to approve the ceasefire. The entire parliament will then meet to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Both the ceasefire deal and the release of prisoners are expected to pass with wide margins, even if far right ministers vote against it.

After the approval, Israel will publish a list of the prisoners expected to be released. Victims of attacks carried out by the prisoners will have 24 hours to petition the Israeli Supreme Court to halt the releases if they object.

Although petitions are expected, the Supreme Court has never intervened to halt a prisoner release in previous deals, said Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem think tank Israel Democracy Institute and an expert in national security law.

Thousands of observant Jews have streamed into Jerusalem’s old city to mark the holiday of Sukkot at the Wall, with extra rejoicing for the upcoming release of the hostages in Gaza.

“God is making miracles, we know from the past. But today we saw it,” said Avi Kozman, who was holding Sukkot’s traditional palm branch after receiving the Priestly Blessing, or Birkat Kohanim.

Sukkot explicitly encourages Jews to rejoice, and many in the jubilant crowds that broke into spontaneous dancing by Jerusalem’s old walls saw divine intervention in the timing of the announcement.

“We always see his hand in the salvation he gives us,” said Hindel Berman as she returned from prayer with her son. The New Jersey resident had come to Jerusalem to mark Sukkot. She called the announcement an answer to the prayers she’d been fervently making since Oct. 7.

“We were screaming and singing last night,” she said.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt is hailing the deal between Israel and Hamas as a “historic moment.”

“This agreement does not only close the chapter of war; it also opens the door of hope for the peoples of the region for a future defined by justice and stability,” el-Sissi wrote in a social media post.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said he hoped the plan would “constitute a first step toward a permanent ceasefire and an end to the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The United Arab Emirates, which struck a diplomatic recognition deal with Israel in 2020, also praised the move toward a ceasefire.

The kingdom said in a foreign ministry statement that it hoped the peace deal will lead to urgent action to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and a complete Israeli withdrawal.

Saudi Arabia also expressed hope that the peace plan would lead to the “initiation of practical steps to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

European leaders have praised the peace deal reached between Israel and Hamas, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressing relief Thursday.

Starmer, who is on a two-day visit to India, said at a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the agreement must now be implemented in full without delay and be accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on lifesaving humanitarian aid to Gaza.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for all parties to uphold the agreement’s terms, while the EU’s policy chief, Kaja Kallas, wrote on X that “The EU will do what it can to support its implementation.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the deal as “extraordinary news” and urged its swift implementation, while Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel expressed hope for wider peace in the region.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron said the ceasefire agreement brings hope for hostages, Palestinians in Gaza, and the entire region. He added the agreement will be discussed in Paris later Thursday.

“This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country played a role in the negotiations, expressed pleasure with the ceasefire agreement reached between Hamas and Israel.

In a statement posted on X, Erdogan thanked Trump for “demonstrating the necessary political will” as well as Qatar and Egypt for facilitating the deal.

“I extend my heartfelt greetings to my Palestinian brothers and sisters who have endured indescribable suffering for two years,” the Turkish president said.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the deal a step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. He praised Trump for his role in the deal and acknowledged Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their mediation efforts.

“Above all, we pay tribute to the resilience of the Palestinian people, who have endured unimaginable hardship that must never be repeated,” Sharif said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lauded the progress and urged all parties to seize the opportunity for enduring peace.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also welcomed the agreement, expressing hope for a brighter future in the region.

Exhausted and hardened by months of brutal bombings, some Palestinians were skeptical yet impatient to see the first phase of the Trump peace plan come into effect, just hours after the agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced.

Paramedic Saeed Awad said he was first skeptical about the possibility of a ceasefire because of previous failed attempts to end the war.

"They all ended in failure. So we didn’t really pay attention to this (round),” he said.

When he first heard the news, Awad said, he had to check with others, seeking confirmation.

“We have been in this war and in this suffering for two years,” Awad said.

Alaa Abd Rabbo, displaced from northern Gaza to Deir al-Balah, said the ceasefire deal is “a Godsend day of relief.”

He said he has been displaced from his home several times, to different parts of Gaza.

“We are tired. We have been displaced and this is the day we have been waiting for,” Abd Rabbo said. “We want to go home, to tend to our affairs, to check on our homes. Even though there are no more homes, but we still want to go home."

World leaders have praised the peace agreement in Gaza brokered by Donald Trump.

Argentine President Javier Milei applauded the deal Wednesday, calling it historic, and said he would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed relief that hostages will soon be reunited with their families and called on all parties to implement the agreed terms swiftly.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely and that “Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also welcomed the agreement as a “major step” toward calming the situation and achieving a two-state settlement.

The Israeli military warned Palestinians in Gaza against returning north to Gaza City or approaching areas where troops are stationed until further notice.

Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued the warning on X, hours after Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of the Trump plan to pause the fighting and release hostages and prisoners.

“For your safety, refrain from returning north or approaching areas where (troops) are stationed or operating throughout” Gaza, he said.

Adraee said northern Gaza is “still considered a dangerous combat zone.”

In Gaza City, where bombings had been heard in the early hours of Thursday before news of the deal, a few journalists roamed the dark streets of the city, shouting in jubilation that “the war has ended,” according to a video they posted on social media.

The journalists, laughing and jumping, shouted that most people who remained in the city have no internet and needed to be woken up to hear the news.

In the south of Gaza, a group of young men lifted another journalist on their shoulders as he broadcast the news to his channel, celebrating the ceasefire.

The men also performed a traditional Palestinian dance, Debka, on the streets, while singing.

Annalena Baerbock said the agreement announced by Trump finally offers “a ray of hope after more than 700 days of death, destruction and despair.”

She said the moment must be seized to fully implement the agreement, end the war in Gaza, release all hostages and ensure “the immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid.”

Baerbock said many world leaders at their recent meeting in the United Nations General Assembly stressed that a permanent ceasefire can open a path to peace, end Hamas’ rule in Gaza and Israel’s occupation, and lead to a two-state solution, the only way Israelis and Palestinians can live in lasting peace and security.

The former German foreign minister commended the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the many others involved “for their efforts to bring the suffering of Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians to an end.”

Families of hostages and their supporters started chanting “Nobel prize to Trump” as they gathered in the early hours of the morning in Tel Aviv's hostages square.

People gathered there after the agreement was announced, with freed hostages and families of those still captive cheering, singing and crying at the news.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN that living hostages held by Hamas would be released on Sunday or Monday — with a 72-hour clock for Hamas to make the release beginning once the Israeli Cabinet meets, Thursday afternoon or evening, to approve the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the agreement.

Leiter said that Israel hopes the deal will lead to an end to the war, but that will depend on how well it is implemented.

“We hope it leads to a complete cessation of hostilities and a rebuilding of Gaza for the sake of the Gazans and for the sake of Israel,” he said.

“But it’s the first stage, and we’ve got to see the first stage implemented completely in the next few days.”

Leiter, whose eldest son was killed in the war while serving in the Israeli forces, credited Israeli military pressure with bringing Hamas to the negotiating table after two years of conflict.

In an interview on Fox News, Trump said that Hamas will begin releasing hostages “probably” on Monday.

“This is more than Gaza,” Trump told host Sean Hannity in a telephone interview. “This is peace in the Middle East.”

Trump also said a future Gaza will be a “peaceful, much safer place” and that the U.S. would remain involved to ensure its safety and prosperity.

“Other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous wealth,” Trump said, adding: “We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful and helping it stay peaceful.”

Trump confirmed that he spoke to Netanyahu earlier Wednesday night. The prime minister told him, “I can’t believe it,” according to the president’s retelling.

“I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi, they can’t fight the world,’ and he understands that very well,” Trump said.

The Israeli Army released a statement Wednesday that it “welcomes the signing of the agreement for the return of the hostages.”

According to the statement, the Chief of the General Staff instructed all forces “to prepare strong defenses and be ready for any scenario.”

Jamal Al-Hur is a high profile Palestinian prisoner rumored to be released in the upcoming deal.

Isidore Karten, whose uncle was killed by Al-Hur in 1996, said Wednesday that while the family is “extremely thankful for the Trump administration” and are “extremely happy” for the hostages and their families, they fear that the deal could be done in a way that risks the repetition of the Oct. 7 attack.

Karten’s family has been campaigning against the release of Al-Hur for the last few days.

Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod said this moment is what they’d been waiting for.

“It could have come much earlier. Let these next three days pass with no one trying to sabotage it,” he said.

Omer Shemtov, a hostage who was freed earlier this year, told reporters that based on his personal experience, he believed the hostages were aware of their pending freedom.

“I believe they know and that they are very excited.”

Einav Zangauker, the mother of captive Matan and a prominent advocate for the hostages’ freedom, told reporters she wants to tell her son she loves him.

“I want to smell his smell,” she said through tears. “If I have one dream it is seeing Matan sleep in his own bed.″

A forum of hostage families said they met the news with ″excitement, anticipation and apprehension.″

"This represents important and meaningful progress toward bringing everyone home, but our struggle is not over and will not end until the last hostage returns,″ it said in a statement.

A senior Hamas official said the group has handed over a list of Palestinian prisoners who will be released as part of the ceasefire deal.

Zaher Jabarin, who oversees Palestinian prisoners’ affairs, said in a statement the list was prepared in accordance with “the criteria agreed upon in the agreement.”

He said the group is still “awaiting final agreement on the names,” and that they will be announced “once the relevant procedures and understandings are completed.”

Eyad Amawi, a Palestinian aid coordinator displaced in central Gaza, says he has mixed feelings of happiness and sadness over the ceasefire deal.

“We believe and don’t believe. We have mixed feelings, between happiness and sadness, memories, everything is mixed,” he said.

Amawi said he hopes the deal is implemented as agreed so that people can return to their homes and begin to “renew the (will) and the hope for life” in Gaza where many children are injured and rubble is everywhere.

His biggest fear, he said, is Israel putting obstacles to implementing the agreement.

The eyes of the Palestinians in Gaza are on how the world will help Gaza to rebuild.

“We need to fix everything here, especially the psychological effects to (continue) with our lives.”

Amawi said the priority for him and everyone else is the return of the displaced to their homes.

He plans to return to Gaza City as soon as the deal takes effect to resume his work and life, and help with the rehabilitation of the city.

A Palestinian man, Ayman Saber, reacted to the ceasefire announcement.

The Khan Younis resident said he plans to return to his home in the city and try to rebuild his house, which was destroyed in an Israeli strike last year.

“I will rebuild the house, we will rebuild Gaza,” he said.

“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” Ahmed Sheheiber, a displaced Palestinian man from northern Gaza, said of the ceasefire deal.

Crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City, he said he is waiting “impatiently” for the ceasefire to go into effect to return to his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement between Israel and Hamas late Wednesday to begin the initial phase of a U.S.-brokered peace deal while urging all parties to "abide fully by the terms of the agreement.”

Guterres said that the U.N. will support the full implementation of the agreement and has been ready to scale up delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza that has been sitting on the borders of Jordan and Egypt.

“I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and achieving a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, and they congratulated each other on an agreement to release all the hostages which Netanyahu’s office described as a “historic achievement”

According to a statement from the prime minister’s office, the conversation was “warm and moving.”

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “efforts and global leadership,” while Trump praised Netanyahu’s “determined leadership and the actions he led.”

The agreement will head to the Israeli Cabinet on Thursday for its approval, and once that occurs, Israeli forces will begin withdrawing to the agreed upon boundary, according to a senior White House official. That should take less than 24 hours, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning.

Hamas then has 72 hours to release hostages, and the White House believes they will begin being released on Monday, the official said.

Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The deceased hostages will come out in a later stage in phases. The Israel army will move out of 70% of the area, they said.

It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.

Trump was pleased with Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff for their work to get the first phase of the agreement closed after arriving in Egypt earlier on Wednesday, according to a person who has been briefed on the negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate negotiations.

In the lead-up to Wednesday’s announcement, Israeli officials were pushing back on inclusion of Marwan Barghouti, the most prominent Palestinian prisoner who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail, the person added.

Israeli officials made clear to the U.S. that the release of Barghouti would set off the far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition.

It was not immediately clear which Palestinian prisoners, including Barghouti, will be included in the first phase of the deal.

Hamas says a deal has been reached to end the war in Gaza that will ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops as well as the entry of aid and the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

The group said in a statement the deal came after “responsible and serious negotiations” over the proposal by Trump. Hamas called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements all the provisions agreed upon without delay or changes.

A Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman says Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The agreement “will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” said Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, speaking on behalf of the mediators of the deal. He said the details will be announced later.

The Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families, said it received the news of a ceasefire with “excitement, anticipation, and apprehension.”

The Forum called on the Israeli government to immediately convene to approve the deal, and praised Trump for his “commitment and determination that led to this historic breakthrough.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners.

“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,” Trump wrote late Wednesday.