President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday night that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the ‘first phase’ of his suggested peace agreement – a significant move towards resolving the conflict in Gaza.

‘This agreement indicates that ALL Hostages will be liberated shortly, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to a mutually decided line as initial steps towards a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,’ Trump announced on Truth Social.

‘All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a momentous day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, the neighboring Nations, and the United States of America, and we extend our gratitude to the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who collaborated with us to enable this Historic and Unprecedented Event,’ he added. ‘BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!’

The Truth Social post had already been teased during the president’s afternoon meeting. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefly interrupted a roundtable discussion Trump was hosting in the State Dining Room to present him with an urgent note concerning the Gaza peace agreement.

‘I just received a message from the Secretary of State indicating that we’re on the verge of a deal in the Middle East, and they will require my presence soon,’ Trump informed the attendees.

The frantically scrawled note was caught on camera. 

It read: ‘Very close. We need you to approve a post on Truth Social soon, so you can announce the deal first.’

At the same event, Trump confirmed reports that he would head to the Middle East as soon as this weekend.  

He told reporters he would likely travel to Egypt, where negotiations are happening, but expressed an openness to traveling to Gaza as well.

Trump also has yet to travel to Israel during his second term. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the trip in a statement, saying that Trump would visit Walter Reed on Friday to meet with the troops and receive his annual physical as he’s ‘considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.’

There, he would join special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been attending the talks.  

Prior to Trump’s announcement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that he had received ‘encouraging’ signs and hailed the support of Trump, whose 20-point peace proposal formed the basis of the talks.

Hamas too expressed ‘optimism’ over the indirect discussions with its foe Israel.

Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas’ disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.

‘The mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism prevails among all parties,’ senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said from the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, where talks kicked off on Monday. 

The terror group submitted a list of prisoners it wants to be released in the first phase of the truce ‘in accordance with the agreed-upon criteria and numbers,’ Nunu added. 

In exchange, Hamas is set to release 47 hostages, both alive and dead, that the group had seized during the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken into Gaza as hostages. 

Twenty are believed to still be alive. 

Once the hostages are returned, Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, plus 1,700 Gazans arrested since October 7, including all the women and children. 

For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 dead Gazans, the Trump plan says. 

Trump’s announcement of a deal comes one day after the second anniversary of that grim day, which kickstarted the present war.