WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ Israel and Hamas "have both signed off" on the first phase of a White House peace proposal for Gaza, President Donald Trump said late Oct. 8 in a social media post.
Trump's announcement came the day after the second anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
During a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sept. 29, Trump released a 20-point peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal itself was met with cautious optimism from some world leaders -- including Pope Leo XIV -- and skepticism from others about whether Hamas, which is designated a terrorist entity by the U.S., would ultimately accept the agreement amid increasing international concern about humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social. "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. All Parties will be treated fairly!"
"This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen."
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" he added.
Trump's post did not immediately make clear what the agreement entailed. But Trump's proposal called for an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to release all of its remaining hostages within 72 hours, living or dead. The militant group still holds 48 hostages, and Israeli officials believe 20 of them are still alive, AP reported. In exchange, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and another 1,700 people from Gaza it detained, including all women and children.
"Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough," the White House plan stated.
Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School who specializes in international law and conflict resolution, told OSV News, "Any movement toward peace, release of the Israeli hostages, and emergency aid for Gazans is welcome."
"But I will be paying close attention to what Prime Minister Netanyahu's government partners say at their meeting on Thursday," she said. "If they support the deal, and President Trump is willing to ensure Israeli compliance, there will be room for real hope."
Previous ceasefire proposals may have succeeded, she argued, if the U.S. had been willing to put enough pressure on Israel.
Reports of the deal circulated prior to Trump's announcement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was pictured earlier in the day handing Trump a note at a White House roundtable that read, "You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce (the) deal first."
"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly," Trump said at the time.
In his own post, Netanyahu said only, "With God's help we will bring them all home," an apparent reference to the hostages.
In a second post, he said: "A big day for Israel. I will convene the government tomorrow to approve the agreement and bring all our precious hostages home. I thank the heroic IDF soldiers and all the security forces, thanks to whose courage and sacrifice we have reached this day.
"I thank President Trump and his team from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages. With God's help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors."
In its attack on Israel in 2023, Hamas carried out mass killings, kidnapped hostages and provoked Israel to declare war the following day. About 1,200 people were killed in the surprise attack by Hamas, with militants engaging in sexual violence and taking hostages before retreating to Gaza.
In the nearly two years since, the Israeli government’s management of the ensuing conflict has been met with scrutiny and criticism, including from the United Nations, over its actions that led to civilian casualties, mass displacement and famine.
After announcing the proposal, Trump later set a deadline for Hamas to accept the proposal, warning of a "a sad end" if they did not. Hamas indicated Oct. 3 it would negotiate through mediators.
Previously, in comments to reporters Sept. 30 at Castel Gandolfo about the White House plan, Pope Leo said it appeared to be "a realistic proposal."
"There are elements that I think are very interesting, and I hope Hamas accepts it in the established timeframe," he said.
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Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
