Hamas, Israel agree on deal

ISRAEL and Hamas yesterday agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living hostages, in a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

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The agreement, which follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by US President Donald Trump, had been scheduled for signing in Egypt, and calls for Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Under the deal, there will be a surge of aid into Gaza after more than two years of war started by Hamas's unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel.

The Israeli army said it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza as part of the deal.

Further down the line, Trump's plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority headed by the US president himself, though this point has yet to be addressed.

A source within Hamas said the group will exchange 20 living hostages all at the same time for nearly 2 000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal’s first phase, with the swop to happen within 72 hours of its implementation.

The timing of the implementation were expected to be announced yesterday, the source said, while Trump said he believed all the hostages would “all be coming back on Monday”.