CAIRO, Oct 9 (AFP) : Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire aimed at ending a war that has killed tens of thousands, razed the Palestinian territory and unleashed a major humanitarian crisis.
The deal that was set to be signed Thursday, includes the release of hostages and prisoners as well as a surge of aid into Gaza after more than two years of war started by Hamas's unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel.
Palestinian militant group Hamas would release all hostages while Israel would pull its troops back to an agreed line of control, US President Donald Trump said after talks in Egypt on his 20-point peace plan resulted in a deal.
Qatar said the deal was the "first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid".
Hamas will exchange 20 living hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of a deal, a source within the militant group told AFP Thursday.
The exchange will take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement the source familiar with the negotiations said.
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, the source added.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
"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 also thanked mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, adding: "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would bring the hostages home "with God's help".
As night fell in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, an AFP contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation before the announcement, with joyful chants of "Allahu akbar", meaning God is the greatest, and some celebratory gunfire into the air.
"We're closely following every bit of news about the negotiations and the ceasefire," said 50-year-old Mohammed Zamlot, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.
In exchange, Hamas is set to free the remaining 47 hostages, both alive and dead, who were seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the war.
The Financial Times adds: The Israeli security cabinet was meeting on Thursday to vote on an agreement to release all the remaining hostages in Gaza as part of Donald Trump's plan to end the two-year war in the strip.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday he and his Religious Zionism party would vote against the agreement. However, the deal is still expected to be easily approved by the security cabinet and the wider government, after which Israel says a Gaza ceasefire will take effect.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said his agency was standing to enter Gaza with food, healthcare and schoolteachers if a ceasefire is agreed.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees "had enough food for the entire population for the coming three months," he said.
"Our teams in Gaza are crucial for the implementation of this agreement including to provide basic services like healthcare and education," Lazzarini added.
"There are over 660,000 children who are eagerly waiting to go back to school. UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them fulfil that."
Hamas has accused Israel of "manipulating" parts of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the timeline and prisoners to be released.
In famine-stricken Gaza City, which has been the focus of an intense Israeli air and ground offensive in recent weeks, some tanks pulled back in the morning, said Ahmed Bakir, a Gazan, who described the mood as "joyful with almost the atmosphere of a feast day".
"People are happy, despite the genocide and the destruction," he said.
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