Israel and Hamas on Thursday signed a ceasefire-and-swap agreement that would pause fighting in Gaza, free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and allow a surge of humanitarian aid, officials on both sides said after indirect talks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the truce will take effect after government ratification, expected following a security cabinet meeting later on Thursday. An Israeli government spokeswoman said the ceasefire would begin within 24 hours of cabinet approval; hostages would be released within 72 hours after that.
An Israeli official said all 20 Israeli hostages still believed alive in Gaza would be freed within days. Twenty-six others have been declared dead in absentia, and the fate of two remains unclear. Hamas has indicated repatriating remains may take longer. A Palestinian source cautioned that the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released was still being negotiated.
Under the deal, Israeli forces would begin pulling back within 24 hours of the agreement taking effect, according to a source briefed on the terms. Truck convoys carrying food and medical supplies would be permitted to enter Gaza in larger numbers to ease the humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of displaced residents.
Crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and in parts of Gaza greeted the announcement with celebrations. “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis. Einav Zaugauker, whose son is among the remaining hostages, said in Tel Aviv: “I can’t breathe … it’s crazy.”
The agreement marks the first phase of a 20-point plan championed by U.S. President Donald Trump. “All Parties will be treated fairly,” he wrote on social media, thanking mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. Western and Arab officials met in Paris on Thursday to discuss a prospective peacekeeping presence and reconstruction support once the truce holds.
Netanyahu called the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it could help widen regional normalisation. Far-right coalition partner Bezalel Smotrich said he would not vote for the deal and insisted Hamas must be destroyed after hostages are returned.
With the truce not yet in force, Israeli strikes continued at a reduced tempo; Gaza’s health ministry reported at least nine Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours, well below recent daily tolls.
The war began after militants led by Hamas stormed Israeli communities and a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages. Gaza health authorities say more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent offensive.