Israel-Hamas Agree to US-Brokered Peace Plan

On the evening of October 8, United States President Donald Trump announced a long-awaited breakthrough, confirming that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of the American peace plan for the Gaza Strip. This development inspires hope that one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in the Middle East may be approaching its resolution. The agreement provides for the release of Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops, paving the way for a stable peace.

On his "Truth Social" social media page, US President Donald Trump detailed the initial terms of the deal. "This means that ALL hostages will be released in the very near future, and Israel will withdraw its troops to agreed-upon lines as a first step toward a strong, reliable, and everlasting peace. All parties will be dealt with fairly," he wrote.

Trump also expressed his gratitude to the mediating countries—Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey—which worked together with the US "to bring this historic and unprecedented event to life."

Earlier at a White House briefing, Trump had stated that he is ready to personally travel to the Middle East to be present at the signing of the agreement, which could take place as early as October 12. "I may go there at the end of the week, maybe Sunday, we'll see," the American leader had noted.

The historic agreement has been confirmed by all key actors in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on his X microblog that he will convene a government meeting as early as October 9 to ratify the deal and bring the hostages held by terrorists home.

Hamas, in turn, also confirmed reaching an agreement with the Israeli side. Later, the AFP agency, citing the Islamist radical group, reported that within 72 hours of the deal's conclusion, the remaining hostages will be exchanged for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Speaking on behalf of the mediating countries was the official representative of the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed al-Ansari. "The mediators announce that on October 8, an agreement was reached on all provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will lead to the cessation of the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid," he wrote on X, adding that the details of the deal will be published later.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed this important step towards establishing peace in the Middle East. "I strongly urge all concerned parties to fully adhere to the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released with dignity. A permanent ceasefire must be ensured. Military operations must cease once and for all," he wrote on X. According to Guterres, the UN will support the implementation of the agreement and, against this backdrop, will increase the volume of humanitarian aid provided to the Gaza Strip.

At the same time, he called for ensuring "the immediate and unhindered entry of humanitarian supplies and necessary commercial goods" into the region, as well as using the opportunity to develop "a reliable political road map aimed at ending the occupation, which will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and lead to the creation of two states."

The starting point for the escalation of the Middle East conflict was the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel carried out by the Hamas movement. On that day, militants launched rocket attacks on Israel, invaded its territory, and carried out the most massive massacre of civilians in the history of the modern Israeli state, killing about 1,200 people. They also captured about 250 hostages and moved them to the Gaza Strip.

In response, Israel declared war on Hamas. During the ground operations and bombings in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 169,000 others have been injured. However, this data does not specify how many of the victims were Islamist militants, nor whether natural deaths in hospitals were taken into account.

This peace agreement is the result of lengthy diplomatic efforts that began at the end of September, when Trump presented his peace plan to Netanyahu in Washington. In early October, Hamas representatives gave partial agreement to the proposed points, and on October 6, the first round of mediated negotiations took place in Egypt, which laid the foundation for the current historic breakthrough.