Trump says Israel, Hamas agree on ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire

US President Donald Trump first announced the breakthrough in a post on social media, saying Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, confirmed the development, saying an agreement has been reached on “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” of the first phase of a ceasefire plan.
Israeli military warns Palestinians against returning to northern Gaza
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee has said the area north of Wadi Gaza – the valley separating central and northern parts of Gaza – is “still considered a dangerous combat zone”.

Adraee said that Israeli forces “continue to surround Gaza City, where returning to it is extremely dangerous”.

“For your safety, refrain from returning north or approaching areas where [Israeli forces] are stationed and operating throughout the sector, including in the south and east of the sector, until official instructions are issued,” he said.
Netanyahu to present ceasefire deal to gov’t that ‘will have to pass no matter what’
In a few hours time, the Israeli government is going to convene and they are going to vote on this ceasefire agreement.

After they vote, the Israeli military will then withdraw to one of those lines that were presented in the map that President Trump posted on his social media.

Then, 72 hours after that, the captives are going to be released by Hamas. We are hearing from the Americans that it could take place on Monday.

President Trump has been talking about Israel’s international isolation, about how they’ve become a pariah state. But they are not just isolated on a political level; it is also economic. It is also through cultural forums. It’s also a lot of different spaces in the world.

So Netanyahu might not have a choice when he presents this to his government, meaning that it will have to pass, no matter what is at stake within the Israeli government.

Even if it’s at risk of collapsing because of the right-wing coalition – the right-wing lawmakers and partners that Netanyahu has, and who could potentially jump ship if they are not happy with the terms of this deal.
Trump says Gaza ‘will be rebuilt’ after first phase of truce deal
Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said that after phase one of the peace deal is complete, “you’ll see people getting along and Gaza will be rebuilt”.

The US leader added that it’s going to be a “different world” and that there will be “wealth spent in Gaza”.

“Gaza, we believe, is going to be a much safer place, and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs, and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,” Trump said.

“I’m very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East,” he added.

Netanyahu claims ceasefire success but Israeli public sees PM as ‘in the way of many deals’
Netanyahu has released a flurry of statements in the last couple of hours, saying that it’s because of Israel’s military pressure. It’s because of Israel’s continuous military activity. It’s because of the objectives that Netanyahu had outlined at the beginning of the war; that’s why they reached this point.

But the reality on the ground shows a much different story.

Most of the captives who were released from the Gaza Strip were done through diplomatic means, through these ceasefire deals or through direct negotiations with the Americans.

It wasn’t really due to these advanced military operations that the army and the government alike were touting.

Netanyahu is not just under pressure internationally but domestically from the family members of those captives who have been held for two years and a day, and who have been advocating for their release every week – protesting, taking to the streets, saying they have no faith in their own leadership.

If you look on social media and if you see the statements from their family members, if you see anything relating to the captives and their families from the last week or so, it’s all been thanks to President Trump. It’s all thanks to the US envoy, Steve Witkoff.

There has been no praise or thanks to the prime minister because this is a population that believes Netanyahu got in the way of many deals, like back in July of 2024, when mediators said they were at the finish line. But at the 11th hour, Netanyahu decided to insert new conditions and essentially reneged on the entire ceasefire agreement.

Palestinians sleep as Israeli drones, warplanes, artillery fall silent in Gaza
This is unusually different compared to the past nights and the past days.

We were driving in areas and by displacement sites with many tents, and literally, we’ve not seen people on the streets. Everyone is sleeping inside tents.

In the past weeks, people haven’t had this opportunity. They were always hyper vigilant because of the ongoing threats and constant danger that they had to be aware of from the drone strikes, from the fighter jets, from the constant and continuous bombardment across the Strip.

But tonight, unusually, as we drove to this broadcasting point by a displacement site, to our surprise, everyone seems to be sleeping.

I think they are taking advantage that tonight is a quiet night.

There are no drones in the background to keep them up. There are no fighter jets. No heavy artillery. And when I look at this, I think they deserve to be sleeping well.

But does this change everything?

For now, at least, the first phase of the agreement is coming, and hopefully it will hold up.