What is known about the agreement between Israel and Hamas

First phase includes release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but many essential points of Donald Trump’s peace plan are not yet defined.

Israel and the radical Palestinian group Hamas agreed this Wednesday (08/10) to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages and the withdrawal to a delimited line of Israeli military forces in the Palestinian enclave.

Trump announced the agreement as “a first step towards a solid, lasting and eternal peace”, but there is no clarity on the implementation of essential points of his peace plan, such as the future administration of the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.

The agreement is expected to be signed at noon (local time) on Thursday, and a ceasefire is expected to come into effect as soon as the agreement is signed, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

What is known about the agreement?

The first phase includes exchanging all Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. There are 48 hostages held in Gaza, of which 20 are believed to be alive.

In exchange for their release, Israel must release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 prisoners held after October 7, 2023.

A senior White House official said that once Israel approves the deal, it will have to withdraw to the agreed line, which is expected to happen in less than 24 hours, after which a deadline of up to 72 hours for the release of the live hostages will go into effect. The agreed line would be the so-called yellow line in Gaza.

Israel said the release of the hostages could begin as early as Saturday. Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, told CNN that the live hostages would be released on Sunday or Monday. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he believed the hostages “will return home on Monday”.

A Hamas source said the live hostages would be handed over within 72 hours of the Israeli government approving the deal. Hamas officials insist it will take longer to recover the bodies of dead hostages from the rubble of Gaza.

The final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released has not yet been defined. Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had handed over the list of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that it wants to be exchanged.

Palestinians in Khan Younis celebrate announcement of agreement between Israel and Hamas | Ramadan Abed/REUTERS

That list is expected to include some of the most prominent prisoners ever held by Israel, whose release was out of the question under previous agreements. According to a Palestinian close to the negotiations, the list includes Marwan al-Barghouti, leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Both are serving multiple life sentences for involvement in attacks that killed Israelis.

A person involved in the negotiations told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Israel is ruling out releasing prisoners involved in planning or carrying out the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.

What did the parties say?

The agreement was confirmed by Israel, Hamas and Qatar, an important mediator.

Hamas announced that it had reached an agreement with Israel to end the war in Gaza and added that the agreement also stipulates the entry of humanitarian aid. The group said it “deeply appreciates” the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye and that it “values” Trump’s efforts to end the war “permanently.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will call on his government this Thursday to ratify the peace plan and thanked Trump for his commitment to freeing the hostages.

“A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will call on the government to ratify the agreement and bring home all our precious hostages. I thank Israel’s heroic soldiers and all security forces. Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have reached this day,” he declared.

What is still not clear?

The announcement that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement has raised great hopes that the war will finally come to an end, but some essential points of the peace plan presented by Trump have not yet been clarified.

One of them is post-war administration for the Gaza Strip. Trump’s original 20-point plan envisions a role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), but only after it undergoes major reforms, and rules out the involvement of Hamas, which has governed Gaza since expelling Palestinian rivals in 2007.

Netanyahu opposes a role for the Palestinian Authority in governing the Gaza Strip. Trump’s plan provides for it, but requires the PA, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a broad reform program, which could take years to implement.

Hamas said it would hand over rule of Gaza only to a technocratic Palestinian government overseen by the Palestinian Authority and supported by Arab and Muslim countries. Hamas rejects any foreign role in Gaza, such as the international body envisaged in Trump’s plan and which would include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Another point foreseen in the peace plan and on which there is still no clarity regarding its implementation is the disarmament and fate of Hamas. Hamas has always rejected handing over its weapons and stated that it would only do so if a Palestinian state was created. Trump’s proposal is vague about a future Palestinian state, something Netanyahu categorically rejects.

Apparently, these two points have not yet been resolved. Diplomats said the agreement is only about the initial phase. Although there are still uncertainties, the agreement was received with joy and relief by both Israelis and Palestinians and seen as a sign that peace is closer.

Where was the agreement reached?

Agreement on an initial phase of Trump’s 20-point plan is the result of indirect negotiations in Egypt, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. The negotiations lasted three days and were just about this initial phase.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner attended Wednesday’s talks in Egypt, which were also attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Netanyahu’s top adviser Ron Dermer.

The agreement on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan is expected to be signed at midday (local time) in Egypt on Thursday, a person familiar with the details of the agreement told Reuters news agency, adding that a ceasefire should come into force once the deal is signed.

Originally published by DW on 10/09/2025

By Alexandre Schossler