Israel and Hamas Confirm First Phase of Gaza Peace Plan

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first stage of a US-brokered peace plan aimed at ending the two-year war in Gaza and freeing remaining hostages.

The Details: Trump announced the agreement, which took place in Egypt, on Truth Social, writing, “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.” According to the Associated Press (Left bias), Israel and Hamas separately confirmed the deal, which calls for Hamas to release all 20 living hostages in the coming days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza. The deal was brokered with the help of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. Qatar Prime Minister’s spokesperson confirmed the deal saying, “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire” have been reached, and more details will come. 

For Context: On Sep. 29, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a proposal to end the Gaza war. The plan outlined both a cease-fire, and a framework for Gaza’s postwar governance, saying Gaza’s residents would not be displaced. The agreement comes two years and two days after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, where Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, over 67,000 people have died in Gaza amid ongoing military operations, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the right, including Fox News (Right), the Daily Caller (Right), the Washington Times (Lean Right) and the New York Post (Lean Right) highlighted praise for Trump and the agreement. They also primarily included quotes from Trump and Netanyahu. The Daily Caller and Washington Times both mentioned the death toll in Gaza, with the Washington Times saying the Gaza health ministry “doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants” in its numbers. Outlets on the left highlighted the death toll in Gaza, and included quotes from Hamas officials who confirmed the deal. The Washington Post (Lean Left) and CNBC (Lean Left) both mentioned uncertainty around specific next steps, like if Hamas would agree to demilitarize, and Gaza’s new governance. Axios (Lean Left) wrote, “Trump's statement was somewhat cautious, only referring to this as an agreement on the ‘first phase.’” It said the next phases could be “just as difficult” given the logistics of removing both Israeli forces and Hamas leadership from Gaza, and creating a new political and security architecture.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.