In a statement released Thursday, both sides had confirmed to reach the first phase of a ceasefire deal built off last week by US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan aimed at ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he hopes all the efforts made by Trump and mediators – Qatar, Egypt and Turkey - would be a prelude to reaching stable political solutions and establishing a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas called the deal a significant diplomatic achievement and a real opportunity to end the conflict and secure the release of all hostages. She said the EU will do everything possible to support the implementation of the agreement.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they will support the urgency of immediate steps and the importance of the next round of negotiations to ensure the plan’s full implementation.
Leaders from other nations including Turkey, India, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Hungary welcomed the deal, considering it a crucial move toward de-escalation and a long-term peace solution in the Middle East.
Analysts say this could be President Donald Trump’s most significant diplomatic breakthrough to date, but warns that hurdles remain.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian expert at the US’s Atlantic Council, said, “It’s important to understand that this is two deals put into one, essentially. The first one is a ceasefire and hostage and prisoner swap. The second one deal with Gaza's future and Gaza's governance, transition, disarmament, deradicalization.”
“And so what we saw announced tonight was specific to the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners after long and arduous negotiations. I would personally venture out to say that the war is far from over and that we don't know what happens after this phase is over,” Ahmed added.
Under the newly reached agreement, Israel will release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 20 hostages held by Hamas. The exchange is set to take place within 72 hours of the agreement’s activation. A key precondition for the hostage release is the withdrawal of Israeli forces to previously agreed-upon lines within Gaza.