A Palestinian man pushes a child on a wheelchair amidst the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip February 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.
The ceasefire deal is to be signed on Thursday (October 9, 2025) in Egypt at roughly 0900 GMT (2:30 p.m. IST), a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP.
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Hamas will exchange 20 living hostages for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza, a source within the militant group told AFP. The exchange will take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement.
The hostages will be released in exchange for 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 others arrested by Israel since the war began on 7 October 2023, the source added.
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