Israel to partially withdraw troops & Hamas to release remaining hostages: Trump

United States President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 8 (U.S. time) that Israel and Hamas had both signed off on “the first Phase of our Peace Plan”.

Hamas would release all remaining hostages, and Israel would withdraw to a previously agreed-upon line.

Trump hailed the agreement as a “GREAT Day” for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the U.S., writing on a Truth Social post “, BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS”.

In principle agreement

CBS News reported that an agreement “in principle” had been reached between all sides, but “procedural issues remained”.

Any hostage release was expected to begin 48 hours after those issues are resolved.

CBS quoted Trump, who said that he expected the hostages to be released on Monday (Oct. 12), a timeline corroborated by the Financial Times with a senior White House official.

Hamas took over 250 hostages during its attacks on Oct. 7 2023, just over two years ago.

Since then, most have been released as part of previous ceasefire agreements, or otherwise rescued or have had their bodies recovered by the Israeli military in fighting in Gaza.

At time of publication, 48 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas custody, and 20 are believed to be still alive.

Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange, allow aid to be “surged” into Gaza, and pull back troops from frontline positions in what the FT called “the first step of a phased redeployment”.

Trump’s plan was announced on Oct. 4, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the White House.

Everlasting peace

But what has been announced by Trump on Oct. 8 is just the first phase of a 20-point plan aimed at a “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”.

It also involves the further withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force (ISF).

Gaza would be governed by Palestinian technocrats who would themselves be overseen by an international supervisory body.

The supervisory body, according to FT, will be led by Trump as well as former British PM Tony Blair, himself a controversial figure in the Middle East due to the role he played in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent violent occupation of the country.

Crucial to this phase of the plan are demands that Hamas disarm and that its members commit to “peaceful coexistence”, according to the FT.

Hamas has yet to agree to disarm, and has indicated that it wants to “negotiate details of Israel’s troop withdrawals” as well as the role of the ISF.

Hopeful

But for the immediate moment, the hostage release presents a significant marker after two years of brutal violence that has been estimated to have taken over 60,000 lives.

Netanyahu described the agreement as a “great day for Israel” and thanked Trump “from the bottom of my heart” for the “sacred task of releasing our hostages”.

Media outlets such as The Guardian and Al Jazeera are reporting that the announcement has been met with celebrations.

However, Al Jazeera tempers this by noting that people on the ground are hopeful but still cautious.

The Guardian showed scenes in Khan Younis where Gazans had gathered to celebrate, while Al Jazeera shared an Instagram post of members of the press walking through dark streets in Northern Gaza to announce that an agreement had been reached.

Meanwhile, the news was met with celebration by Israeli hostage return groups, with one prominent group, Bring Them Home Now, sharing a video of a family member popping champagne at a square in Israel dedicated to Hamas held hostages.

The White House alluded to Trump's bid to win a Nobel Peace Prize, by sharing an image of him labeled "The Peace President".

Related stories

Top image via Bring Them Home Now/Facebook, The White House/Facebook, @gazanotice/X