Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump has announced on Thursday that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of the US-proposed Gaza peace deal, allowing for the release of all the hostages very soon. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
In his message, Trump detailed about two top issues that negotiators had been working in Egypt: the release of hostages and Israeli withdrawal from certain parts of Gaza.
In his Truth Social post, the US president added, “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.”
President Trump’s message came about two hours after he was handed a note by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio which allegedly said that there was a Truth Social post awaiting his approval to announce a deal that has been struck. The note read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
Detailing about it, the US president during a press briefing said, “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.”
In the Truth Social post, while announcing the deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump further added, “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.”
A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, as quoted by CNN, stated that the agreement signed between Israel and Hamas “will lead to ending the war” in Gaza. Hamas has also issued a statement announcing the end of the war in Gaza. The militant group said, “stipulating an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation’s withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange.”
