Trump says Israel and Hamas have signed off on ‘first phase’ of Gaza peace plan
By Deva Lee, Catherine Nicholls, Mostafa Salem and Aditi Sangal, CNN
Updated 7:32 PM EDT, Wed October 8, 2025
Netanyahu to convene government Thursday to ratify deal
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Tal Shalev
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will convene the government Thursday to ratify the agreement with Hamas and return the hostages from Gaza.
He called this “a great day for Israel” and said the country could continue to achieve its goals and expand peace with its neighbors.
Some background: According to Israeli law, any decision to release Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage deal must first be approved by the government. If the cabinet votes in favor of the deal, there is then a short window for petitions to be filed before Israel’s High Court of Justice to challenge the releases. The government can only proceed with releases after that hurdle is cleared.
Trump announces "first phase" of Gaza peace plan. Here's how it happened today
From CNN staff
President Donald Trump reads a note handed to him by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday.Evan Vucci/AP
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a peace framework that will allow for the swift release of all hostages. Trump earlier said that he may travel to the Middle East after a deal is reached.
After Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “with God’s help we will bring them all home.” An Israeli source told CNN that the hostages are expected to be released on Saturday or Sunday.
Hamas said in a statement that the agreement stipulates “an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation’s withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange.”
Here are the key developments today that led up to this moment:
• Earlier in Egypt: Several high-level leaders and officials arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh for an “expanded meeting” to end the war.
- Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani
- US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner
- Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad
- Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin
- Israel’s chief negotiator Ron Dermer
Reports of progress: Then this afternoon, CNN started reporting that parties involved were talking about progress made. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio said he had canceled his scheduled travel to be available for a possible trip to the Middle East. Then we saw Rubio pass a handwritten note to Trump during an event at the White House that appeared to say the deal was very close.
Meanwhile: A Qatari official said details of the first phase will be announced soon. But remember, key issues have included Israeli forces’ withdrawal and the list of Palestinian prisoners set for release. Trump’s announcement did not mention those thorny topics, or Hamas’s disarmament and the future governance of the enclave.
Hamas announces an agreement "stipulating an end to the war on Gaza"
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman and Jeremy Diamond
Hamas in a statement has announced the conclusion of an agreement “stipulating an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation’s withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange.”
Hamas goes on to thank all mediators involved: Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. The statement also thanked US President Donald Trump.
“We also value the efforts of US President Donald Trump, who seek to bring about a definitive end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” the statement reads.
Hamas also urged mediators to compel Israel “to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”
The spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry also said that the agreement “will lead to ending the war” in Gaza.
Israeli hostages expected to be released Saturday or Sunday, source says
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
Israeli hostages are expected to be released on Saturday or Sunday, an Israeli source familiar with the matter said.
