Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace deal, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday night.
“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. “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!”
Journalists at the White House caught wind of the incoming announcement at an earlier White House event, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted the proceedings to slip the president a note. An Associated Press photographer snapped a shot of the note, which appeared to read: “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
“I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly,” Trump said after Rubio handed him the message.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump after handing him a note about a Middle East deal saying “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first” pic.twitter.com/ISEJ2RsUOq
— Evan Vucci (@evanvucci) October 8, 2025
He also teased a possible trip to Egypt this weekend, and ended the White House event by saying, “I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East.”
The reported agreement comes one day after the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which kick-started the current conflict.
Trump announced his 20-point peace plan last week, which calls for an immediate end to the war in order for Gaza to become a “deradicalized terror-free zone … redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza.”
The proposal requires Hamas to release all hostages, alive and deceased, and be returned within 72 hours of Israel’s public acknowledgement of a deal. Hamas is reported to have 48 hostages, 26 of whom were publicly confirmed dead and 20 thought to be alive. The names of two dead hostages believed to be dead have not been released.
In return, Israel “will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th, 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.”
Trump’s plan also calls for the “immediate” return of aid to Gaza.
The World Health Organization estimated that more than half a million people are experiencing famine across Gaza, as of Aug. 25. The organization estimated by the end of September, “640,000 people will face Catastrophic levels of food insecurity.”
For future governance, Trump called for a “technocratic apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.” The proposed committee would be chaired by Trump and include “qualified Palestinians and political experts” including Tony Blair, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel confirmed the agreement in an X post, saying it was a “great day for Israel,” though he did not share any details of the plan both sides had agreed to.
“Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home,” Netanyahu posted in Hebrew. “I thank from the depths of my heart President Trump and his team for their mobilization for this sacred mission of releasing our hostages. With the help of the Almighty, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors.”
Majed al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, also confirmed the agreement in an X post, along with some of the negotiated provisions.
“The mediators announce that tonight an agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” he wrote. “The details will be announced later.”