Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Under the plan, which is expected to be approved by Israel's smaller Security Cabinet and then the full Cabinet late Thursday, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.
Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed plan to pause fighting, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza.
At least 11 dead and 49 wounded Palestinians were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Thursday.
Here's the latest:
Trump says he will address Israel’s parliament
The U.S. president says he has been invited to speak before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, when he travels to the Middle East in the coming days.
“If they would like me to, I will do it,” Trump said, noting that he had been invited to speak.
He said he would be the first U.S. president to address the Knesset, but that’s not accurate. Former president George W. Bush spoke before the parliamentary body in May 2008.
Trump express confidence in Netanyahu’s political future
The days ahead could be politically tricky for Netanyahu.
Israel’s leader has been shadowed by an ongoing corruption trial as he navigated the Gaza war. His grip on power has been largely contingent on the support of hardline, far-right coalition partners who had been urging him to continue to prosecute operations on Hamas until the group was eliminated.
But Trump suggested Netanyahu’s political standing has been bolstered by the ceasefire and hostage deal.
“I think he’s very popular right now. He’s much more popular today than he was five days ago,” Trump said of Netanyahu. “I can tell you right now people shouldn’t run against him. Five days ago, might not have been a bad idea.”
Putin hails Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza
Russian President Vladimir Putin said “we very much hope that these initiatives of the U.S. President will be implemented,” speaking at the Russia-Central Asia summit in Tajikistan’s capital on Thursday.
He reaffirmed Russia’s view that “the most important, indispensable condition for the long-term stabilization and resolution of all issues related to this difficult problem is the creation of an independent Palestinian state.”
Iran welcomes ceasefire as a step toward ending ‘genocide in Gaza’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it supports any effort that halts the war in Gaza, ensures Israeli troops withdraw, delivers humanitarian aid and restores Palestinians’ rights.
The ministry warned that the international community must stay alert for possible Israeli violations and urged global courts to pursue accountability for alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Experts and major rights groups have accused Israel of genocide. Israel vehemently denies the allegations.
The statement on Telegram said Tehran has used “all its diplomatic capacities” over the past two years to pressure Israel and its allies to stop the fighting.
Separately, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote on X that the Gaza cease-fire “may be the prelude to the end of cease-fires in other regions.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Trump talks with Muslim leaders at UN proved to be a ‘turning point’ in sealing Gaza deal
Trump last month gathered with the leaders of eight Arab or predominantly Muslim countries on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss strategy on ending the Israel-Hamas conflict and a plan for post-war Gaza.
Days after that meeting, Trump met at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the plan and the two leaders agreed to Trump’s 20-point proposal to end the war.
Rubio noted that Trump’s negotiators then stepped up their efforts through intermediaries in Qatar and Egypt to get Hamas on board. Trump, meanwhile, held “extraordinary” phone calls and meetings with world leaders “that required a high degree of intensity and commitment” to get the deal to the finish line.
“I think what’s important to understand is that yesterday what happened was really a human story,” Rubio said. He added, “Perhaps the entire story will be told about the events of yesterday. But, suffice it to say, it’s not an exaggeration, none of it would have been possible without the president of the United States being involved.”
A grieving Palestinian father longs to return to his destroyed home
When the ceasefire deal takes effect, Saeed Abu Elaish, a Palestinian medic, plans to go back to the remains of his house in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp.
Two dozen members of his family, including his wife and their two daughters, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023.
“I just want to touch the place that was our home and tell those I lost that I am still here,” he said somberly. He views the pause in fighting as a “significant step” even it comes too late.
“This ceasefire, although necessary, doesn’t mean the end,” he told The Associated Press. “I am concerned that this calm could be temporary, and that the bombing will return.”
Abu Elaish was forced to flee Gaza City late last month and has been sheltering in central Gaza.
Ex-hostages describe their excitement and trepidation ahead of final hostage release
Addressing reporters and jubilant crowds at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, several former hostages said they were “indescribably happy” at the prospect of the imminent release from Gaza of all remaining hostages — reminded of the moment they themselves were told they would be going home.
“I can’t stop thinking about what the hostages still there are going through,” said ex-hostage Amit Soussana, “Do they believe that this time they’re really coming home?”
Omer Shem Tov, who was released from Hamas captivity in the last ceasefire, said he “jumped up and down with joy” at the news of the deal, but added that “it isn’t over yet” and called on the Israeli public to “keep fighting for their release.”
Their statements were interrupted by cheering and clapping crowds, and chants of “bring them home now.’
UN waiting for ‘green light’ from Israeli officials to bring in aid from bordering countries
Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said that in the last several months, humanitarian partners have only been able to deliver 20% of the aid needed to address the dire situation throughout the Gaza Strip. Officials have been in constant direct contact with Israeli officials in the last 12 hours to get the go-ahead to bring the aid already in the pipeline in the West Bank, Jordan Egypt and Cyprus.
But Fletcher warned that the 170,000 tons of aid is just the tip of the iceberg for what is needed in Gaza, calling on developed countries to scale up contributions to the effort.
“So every government, every state, every individual who has been watching this crisis unfold and wondering, ‘What can we do? If only there is something we can do,’ Now is the time to make that generosity count,” he said. “And I plead with the level of kindness and generosity that, frankly, the world owes right now.”
UN aid chief says 170,000 metric tons of aid is ready to go into Gaza
Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, told reporters Thursday that officials have 170,000 metric tons of medicine, aid and other supplies at ready for when they are given a green light.
“We are ready to roll,” Fletcher said, warning that there should be no “backsliding” from either side of the agreement. He outlined the plans for the first 60 days of the ceasefire, which would include an increase in the the pipeline of supplies to hundreds of trucks everyday.
“We will scale up the provision of food across Gaza to reach 2.1 million people who need food aid, and around 500,000 people who need nutrition,” he said.
Macron warns that Israeli settlements threaten peace amid Hamas-Israel war pause
French President Emmanuel Macron has cautioned that Israeli settlement in the West Bank could undermine the pause in the Hamas-Israel war.
He said the accelerating construction of Israeli settlements “represents an existential threat to the state of Palestine. Not only is it unacceptable and contrary to international law, it feeds tensions, violence, instability and in effect contradicts the American plan and our collective ambition for a region at peace.”
He also suggested that West Bank settlement cannot be justified by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, saying it “has nothing to do with Hamas and Oct. 7, 2023.” He spoke at the opening of a meeting of European and Middle East foreign ministers in Paris.
EU is prepared to back Gaza police and aid programs
The European Union has expressed readiness to support police and humanitarian aid programs in Gaza if the ceasefire holds, the top diplomat for the 27-nation bloc said Thursday.
“We need to plan for the day after,” Kaja Kallas said before a meeting in Paris of top diplomats from Europe and Middle East.
Kallas said an EU humanitarian aid team stands ready at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt, and that its assistance mission to the Palestinian Authority’s police could support a “stabilization force” in Gaza.
Trump says hostages will be released from Gaza on Monday or Tuesday
The president opened a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House on Thursday by speaking about the ceasefire deal and his plans to travel to the Middle East.
Trump said he will be going to Egypt for a signing ceremony. It was not clear if he would be traveling elsewhere on the trip.
He said it is a complicated process for the hostages to be released from Gaza, but it will be happening Monday or Tuesday. He said there will also be the remains of about 28 hostages to be brought back, but he didn’t offer details or timing on that.
Trump’s envoy and Kushner land in Israel ahead of Cabinet vote
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff as well as Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, landed in Israel Thursday night, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Their arrival comes as Israel’s Security Cabinet is set to vote on the first phase of Trump’s deal and ahead of the release of the hostages, which is expected within the next few days.
Germany calls for urgent aid to Gaza, praises US efforts
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday emphasized the urgency of delivering food and medical aid to Gaza. He says Germany is ready to help, especially with medical supplies.
Wadephul stressed the need to focus on the people in Gaza once a ceasefire is in place and efforts to free hostages begin. He credited the U.S. administration and Trump for the progress,
He also said the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the goal, but many stages are needed. Wadephul called for the U.N. to play a decisive role.
Witkoff, Kushner met with Egypt's president
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner in Cairo Thursday.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived from Sharm el Sheikh, where a ceasefire deal was brokered.
In a statement after the meeting, the president’s office welcomed the ceasefire agreement, adding that he is eager to celebrate the signing of the deal soon. The statement also said that ending the war is in the “wills of all countries.”
The president also reiterated his invitation to Trump to visit Egypt to “witness the signing of this historic agreement in a ceremony befitting the occasion.”
UN pledges full support to Gaza ceasefire agreement and is ready to move on aid
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.N. and its partners can move now to scale up the delivery of food, water, medical assistance and shelter supplies.
But the U.N. chief said “to turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns.”
Guterres called for safe access for humanitarian workers, the removal of red tape and other impediments, the rebuilding of Gaza’s shattered infrastructure and funding to meet the immense needs.
The secretary-general told U.N. reporters in New York that the “glimmer of relief” for Israelis and Palestinians must be seized to establish a political path toward ending Israel’s occupation and achieving a two-state solution.
Israel says it won’t free prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti
Barghouti, the most popular and unifying Palestinian political figure, has spent more than two decades In Israeli detention and is widely seen as a potential successor to President Mahmoud Abbas, the current leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
On Thursday, an Israeli government spokeswoman said Israel does not intend to release Barghouti as part of the agreement reached with Hamas. “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,” Shosh Bedrosian said.
Barghouti was arrested in 2002 and later given five life sentences by an Israeli court over deadly attacks during the 2000 intifada, or Palestinian uprising.
Hamas leaders have in the past demanded that Israel release Barghouti, a leader of the militant group’s main political rival, Fatah, as part of any deal to end the fighting in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly refused.
Turkey may take part in task force overseeing ceasefire implementation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will “hopefully” take part in a task force “that will monitor the implementation of the (ceasefire) agreement on the ground.”
Erdogan did not provide further details Thursday.
He said getting humanitarian aid into Gaza urgently, ensuring the exchange of hostages and prisoners, and pressing Israel to stop its military actions and “retreat to the designated lines” are of utmost importance.
Turkey, which has close ties to Hamas, helped broker the agreement, along with the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
Thousands are streaming into a Tel Aviv square
Thousands of people have streamed into a square in Tel Aviv that has turned into the epicenter of the movement to bring home the hostages. Many sang and danced as they waved Israeli and American flags.
“It feels like we can finally see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel we have all been walking through,” said Einav Kahila, a 25-year-old student who came from Jerusalem. “There’s a lot of anxiety, also, because we’re always feeling unsure or insecure about the situation. But the people that came here today chose to be on the side of optimism.”
The celebrations appeared more muted than previous public reactions to ceasefires, reflecting the despair that has settled over the country as the war ground on for two years.
“Of course, it’s not over until it’s over, but today is a today we can have a little bit more hope,” said Avi Duek, who came to Hostages Square with his 14-month-old son.
Hamas official says some 2,000 prisoners to be released
A senior Hamas official has said five border crossings will be opened for aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, some 2,000 prisoners will be released and Israeli troops will withdraw from heavily populated areas as part of the U.S.-mediated deal to end the two-year war.
Osama Hamdan told the pan-Arab Al-Araby TV that 250 prisoners serving long sentences will be released in addition to 1,700 who were taken prisoner during the war in Gaza.
“We have put the names of all the commanders that we want released,” Hamdan said.
“The Israelis should withdraw from all heavily populated areas especially Gaza City, Khan Younis, Rafah and north Gaza,” he added.
The Israeli army is expected to start withdrawing on Friday but it could start as early as late Thursday, Hamdan said.
Gaza paramedic: Peace plan is a ‘moment of joy’
The head of paramedics in northern Gaza says the agreement between Israel and Hamas is a “moment of joy” because it means an end to the relentless bloodshed and killings that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Fares Afana said his team’s priority is to remove bodies from under the rubble and on the roads which were inaccessible during intense bombings.
“After two years of this genocide, injustice and oppression, we are physically and psychologically tired,” he added. “Only now after the ceasefire announcement, we can cry for our colleagues who were killed.”
Israeli tanks fire to push back crowds of Palestinians hoping to go home
Israeli tanks deployed on the main coastal road in Gaza have fired several rounds to push back a crowd of displaced Palestinians gathering there in hopes of returning to their homes in the north of the territory.
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has not yet been ratified by the Israeli government and is yet to take effect. But hundreds of Palestinians have gathered on the coastal road at the intersection between north and south Gaza, in an apparent rush to return to their homes north.
Israeli military operations that began in late August in north Gaza has forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee south. The military had warned Palestinians against returning north, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.” It urged Gaza residents to wait until further notice.
In an Associated Press video, smoke was seen rising over the wide coastal al-Rashid road, as two tanks deployed to block access to the north. People fled to avoid what appeared to be gunfire over their heads.
