Washington, 9 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Israel and the militant Palestinian organization Hamas have agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, Trump announced on Truth Social on Wednesday.

"This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace," Trump said.

"This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen," he wrote.

Some 48 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, and according to Israeli reports, 20 of them are still alive.

Moments after Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X.

"With God's help we will bring them all home," he wrote.

"This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel," he added in a second post.

"From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved," Netanyahu said.

"Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point."

Hamas confirmed it had reached an agreement "stipulating an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation's withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange," it said in a statement.

"We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediating brothers in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye. We also value the efforts of US President Donald Trump, who seeks to bring about a definitive end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip."

Talks between negotiators from Israel and Hamas have been ongoing for several days in the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The 20-point peace plan proposed by Trump envisages Israel pulling its forces in Gaza back to an "initial withdrawal line" in exchange for the release of hostages, who have now been held captive by the Islamist group for over two years.

Under the plan, Israel would free around 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and roughly 1,700 others detained after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Gaza conflict was triggered by the October 2023 attacks on Israel carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian extremists, during which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were abducted as hostages.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the war in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run health authority in the territory that are seen as credible by the United Nations and international organizations.

Photo: Donald Trump Truth Social