Israel-Hamas Peace Deal Breakthrough

In a historic development on October 8, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had both signed off on the first phase of a comprehensive Gaza peace plan. The breakthrough came after three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, involving delegations from both sides along with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

The agreement marks the first significant progress toward ending the devastating two-year conflict that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Under the initial phase, all remaining hostages held by Hamas will be released “very soon,” while Israel will withdraw its troops to the agreed-upon lines. The plan includes the release of 48 hostages still held in Gaza, with approximately 20 believed to be alive, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed full cabinet support for the plan, which also calls for Hamas to fully disarm and for Gaza to be placed under international governance. The announcement came just two days after the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. The Gaza conflict has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Trump praised the involvement of mediators and declared it “a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America”.