The US President announced on the night of October 8-9 that Israel and Hamas had approved the first phase of its peace plan. " This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and that Israel will withdraw its troops to the agreed line, the first steps towards a solid, lasting, and eternal peace ," the US President said. Qatar confirmed an Israel-Hamas agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel will bring home all hostages from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared this morning, October 9. For its part, Hamas announced that it had reached " an agreement providing for the end of the war in Gaza ." The Palestinian Islamist movement called on Trump to force Israel to fully implement the agreement. The UN chief, for his part, called on all parties to respect it " fully ."

“ I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed the first phase of our peace plan. This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops along an agreed line as the first step toward a strong, lasting, and everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly! This is a BIG day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen. Blessed are the peacemakers!” President Trump announced on his Truth Social network.

" This means that ALL hostages will be released very soon and that Israel will withdraw its troops to the agreed line, the first steps towards a solid, lasting, and eternal peace ," the US president said. In the wake of this, UN chief António Guterres called on all parties to " fully " respect the agreement.

Israel will bring home all the hostages from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on October 9 after Donald Trump announced a deal to that effect. " With God's help, we will bring them all home, " Benjamin Netanyahu said simply in a brief statement released by his office. The Israeli prime minister announced that he will convene the cabinet to approve the agreement.

For its part, Hamas announced that it had reached " an agreement providing for the end of the war in Gaza ." The Palestinian Islamist movement called on Trump to force Israel to fully implement the agreement. The live hostages will be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, a source within the Islamist movement said Thursday. The exchange must take place within 72 hours of the start of implementation of the agreement, this source familiar with the negotiations told AFP.

Qatar confirms Israel-Hamas agreement on first phase of ceasefire. Mediators in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt announced the agreement on Egyptian television. " The mediators announce that an agreement was reached this evening on all provisions and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will lead to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian aid. Details will be announced later ," Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said on the social network X.

Trump likely to visit Egypt

Earlier in the evening, Donald Trump announced that he would likely travel to the Middle East later this week, possibly to Egypt, claiming that an agreement between Hamas and Israel to end the war in Gaza was " very close ." On October 8, he received a note from Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, seen by an AFP photographer, stating that his " authorization " was required to announce a Gaza agreement.

" I may go there toward the end of the week, maybe Sunday, actually. We'll see, but there's a good chance it will happen. The negotiations are going very well, " Donald Trump said at the White House. " As you know, our last negotiation was with Hamas, and it seems to be going well. So we'll keep you informed, but if all goes according to plan, we'll probably leave Sunday, October 12, or even Saturday ," he said after explaining that he had spoken by phone with officials in the Middle East.

Asked a journalist later, he cited Egypt as a likely destination, without ruling out a visit to the Gaza Strip, ravaged by two years of war. " I might go. We haven't decided yet ," he said of Gaza. In response to another question, he added that he would visit the region " probably, perhaps, before the hostages are released or just after ."

“ Announce the agreement first ”

Toward the end of the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered the room and handed him a handwritten note that he said assured him that they were " very close to an agreement ." On the handwritten note, the secretary, who had just unexpectedly joined a meeting on a completely different topic, wrote the words " very close ," underlined, and: " We need your authorization for a message on Truth Social soon so you can announce the agreement first. "

" I have to go now to resolve some problems in the Middle East ," he added. " ' Peace in the Middle East ' is a nice phrase, and we hope it will become a reality, but we are very close to it ," he had said shortly before.

An agreement that has been taking shape in recent hours

Speaking about the ongoing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Egypt aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip, which include US envoys, Donald Trump said that " they are doing a very good job ." " We have a great team there, great negotiators, and unfortunately, the other side also has great negotiators. But I think it will eventually happen ," he added.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reported " very encouraging " signs and said he had invited the US president to "attend its signing" if an agreement was reached. The Trump plan, announced on September 29, provides for a ceasefire, an exchange of hostages taken during the October 7 attack for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.