Israel and Hamas agree to hostage release in step toward peace after two years of war

Israel and Hamas agreed Wednesday to a deal that would release all Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip in the first step toward peace after two years of war in the Palestinian territory.

- Summer Said, Anat Peled & Abeer Ayyoub

President Trump said the hostages will be released soon, and that Israel will withdraw its troops in the strip to an agreed-upon area. Hamas confirmed that a broad deal, steered by U.S. envoys, had been reached to end the war, allow more humanitarian aid and facilitate “a prisoner exchange”—a reference to the release of Israeli hostages for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Egyptian officials who mediated the talks said Hamas would let the remaining living hostages go as soon as Sunday morning. Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the hostages would probably be released on Monday.

“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.

The president’s announcement marks a breakthrough in what had been eight months of stalled negotiations after he took office, bringing Trump closer to a top foreign-policy goal of ending the war in Gaza. It came together in less than a month after an Israeli strike on Qatar—a U.S. ally that harbors Hamas officials—led to heightened fears the war was spinning out of control and brought new pressure on Israel from Trump and on Hamas from leaders in the Muslim world.

Trump employed some of his most trusted advisers—a friend, real-estate investor Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner—to bridge the gaps leading to Wednesday’s announcement.

It is believed there are 20 living hostages of about 250 people kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched a surprise assault on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.