The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to sign the first phase of a peace framework that will allow the rapid release of all hostages and a limited withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza.
Trump said on his official Truth social media account that this means that “Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a solid, lasting and eternal peace” and that “ALL hostages will be released very soon.”
“This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, all neighboring nations and the United States!” the president stated in his announcement and concluded by thanking the mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey who worked on the negotiations in Cairo to make “a historic and unprecedented event a reality. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
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“All parties will be treated fairly,” added Trump, who this afternoon announced that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel were progressing at a good pace and that he hoped to travel to the Middle East for this reason over the weekend.
In his message, Trump mentions two of the main issues that negotiators have been working on this week in Egypt: the release of hostages and the Israeli withdrawal from certain parts of Gaza.
This afternoon the White House reported that Trump will go on Friday for a routine medical check-up at a hospital outside Washington and is subsequently considering traveling to the Middle East, without detailing whether the destination will be Egypt or if it will happen before or after a possible release of hostages.
The first points of the peace plan for Gaza proposed by Trump contemplate the cessation of the Israeli offensive on Gaza and the release within 72 hours of all Hamas hostages, both alive and dead.
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In addition, it also proposes the disarmament of the group, the withdrawal of Israel from the enclave and the formation of a transitional government in the Strip, among other things.
The agreement between both parties is announced two weeks after Trump presented the proposal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House, under the content of a ceasefire, release of hostages, demilitarization of Hamas and the establishment of an international administration supervised by the United States.
Netanyahu announces that his government will ratify the Gaza agreement
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he will convene his government to ratify the peace plan agreement for Gaza signed with Hamas in Egypt and thanked President Trump for his commitment to freeing the hostages in the Palestinian Strip.
“A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to ratify the agreement and bring home all of our precious hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement distributed by his office in the early hours of Thursday, shortly after Trump announced the signing of the agreement.
“I wholeheartedly thank President Trump and his team for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages,” he added in the message, in which he also thanked the “courage and sacrifice” of the Israeli soldiers and security forces.
And he concluded: “God willing, together we will continue to achieve all our objectives and expand peace with our neighbors.”
Hamas: “We announce an agreement to end the war in Gaza”
The Islamist group Hamas announced that it had reached an agreement with Israel to “end the war in Gaza” that stipulates the withdrawal of the Israeli Army from the Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid and the exchange of prisoners.
Hamas noted in a statement that “after responsible and serious negotiations” regarding President Trump’s proposal, the parties reached an agreement that implies the “end to the war of extermination” against the Palestinian people and “the withdrawal of the occupation of the Gaza Strip.”
The Islamist organization expressed that it “deeply” appreciates the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, as well as President Trump, who managed to finalize the agreement.
“We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and the various Arab, Islamic and international parties, to force the occupation government to fully implement the commitments of the agreement and not allow it to evade or delay its compliance,” Hamas said.
“We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, that we will remain faithful to the pact, and that we will not renounce the national rights of our people until we achieve freedom, independence and self-determination,” he concluded.
With information from EFE
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