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PHASE ONE TO BE IMPLEMENTED

Hamas gets guarantees of end to Gaza war, Israel approves ceasefire | Al Jazeera Live |

Israeli Cabinet approves 'outline' of deal to release all remaining hostages held by Hamas | PBS News |

Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

"We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people," Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.

In other developments, U.S. officials announced that they would send about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

FRIDAY IS THE DECISION IN OSLO NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

Trump: ’We ended Gaza war,’ the hostages are coming home. ‘After that, we’ll see’

US president says Hamas will disarm and IDF will pull back its troops, but indicates issues pertaining to post-war management of the Strip still need to be finalized; hopes to be in Israel for hostages’ release

“Last night, we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East,” Trump said at the beginning of a cabinet meeting in the White House. “We ended the war in Gaza, and on a much bigger basis, created peace… hopefully an everlasting peace in the Middle East.”

That framing is not shared by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that an end to the war can only be declared once Hamas disarms and Gaza has been demilitarized.

But the mediators have sold a different version in order to convince Hamas to agree to release all 48 remaining hostages up front, assuring the terror group that Israel won’t be allowed to resume the war after the captives have been returned.

Trump’s 20-point plan does envision the disarmament of Hamas, but the agreement inked earlier Thursday in Egypt was only on what the parties are describing as the “first phase,” pertaining largely to the hostage-prisoner swap and Israel’s initial, limited withdrawal from Gaza.

Nearly ALL JPost frontpage headlines are filled with CRAP … Hasbara BS

’Ben-Gvir caught in heated argument with Witkoff, Kushner over Gaza deal'

Officials respond

Following the confirmation, Netanyahu shared, "We are at a momentous development. In the last two years, we've fought during these two years to achieve our war aims. And a central one of these war aims is to return the hostages. All of the hostages, the living and the dead. And we're about to achieve that.

Israel’s right-wing ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) opposed the deal.

They have both expressed opposition largely due to the Palestinian prisoner exchange set to take place with the Israeli hostages' return.

National Missions Minister Orit Strock, also a member of the Religious Zionist Party, voted against the deal “no matter what,” her spokesperson said.

Does this deal mean, as Trump says, “peace in the Middle East”? | Foreign Affairs |

It is an extraordinary day, and if hostages are released as announced, and there is even a temporary cease-fire that provides some relief to the people of Gaza, we should rejoice. But the deal is a long way from “peace in the Middle East.” I would call it more of a respite from the hell of the past two years and an opportunity to move forward.