In a Wednesday-night post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump revealed what may be the most consequential breakthrough yet in the two-year Gaza war. Reporting for The Media Line, I detail [1] how Israel and Hamas have accepted the first phase of a ceasefire deal that includes the release of all remaining hostages, an initial Israeli troop pullback, and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The agreement—hammered out in Sharm el-Sheikh with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey—marks the first tangible progress toward ending the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a great day for Israel,” while the Israel Defense Forces prepared to shift its positions as part of the deal.
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Under the terms, roughly 20 surviving hostages are expected to be released at once, followed by a phased repatriation of the dead. Israel, in turn, would free 250 prisoners serving life sentences and about 1,700 Gazans detained since October 7, 2023. Washington’s broader 20-point roadmap calls for Hamas’ disarmament and withdrawal from power, the creation of a technocratic Palestinian administration, and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force under regional supervision. Israel pledges no annexation or permanent occupation, while a new economic framework envisions reconstruction and investment tied to security benchmarks. Yet deep uncertainty remains over Hamas’ willingness to disarm and how the timing of withdrawals and prisoner releases will be managed.
As the Israeli cabinet convenes to ratify the deal and mediators prepare its implementation, the world’s attention turns to the first convoys of aid and the first freed captives. The story I reported [1] tracks not just a fragile diplomatic success, but also the immense risks that still shadow it—a moment poised between the possibility of peace and the pull of unfinished war.