When news of the ceasefire broke, Palestinians in Gaza reacted with a mix of joy and disbelief. “Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn’t hold back. Tears of joy flowed. Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and the constant feeling that we could die at any moment,” Samer Joudeh told the AFP from Gaza.
In Tel Aviv, families of hostages and their supporters gathered in the early hours of the morning, chanting “Nobel prize to Trump”. Some popped open bottles of champagne and cheered. Others wept and embraced previously released hostages as the square filled with crowds of Israelis celebrating the news.
The precise details of the deal to end Israel’s war in Gaza remain unclear, but as the Guardian’s global affairs correspondent Andrew Roth notes, “the statement of purpose by both Israel and Hamas is meaningful.”
So what exactly is in the deal?
My colleague Archie’s recent First Edition newsletter outlines Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which includes several key elements:
• No role for Hamas in Gaza’s future and an amnesty for its members
• A phased withdrawal of Israeli forces
• The return of all living and deceased hostages
• A surge of humanitarian aid and reconstruction of essential infrastructure
• A commitment against annexing Gaza or forcing Palestinians into exile
According to people familiar with the talks, Hamas is expected to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, while the remains of those killed will be handed over in later phases.
The Israeli army would withdraw from roughly 70% of Gaza and, in return, Israel would free several hundred Palestinian prisoners.
The agreement has been endorsed by key Arab states and regional powers, and is being described as the most credible chance to end the conflict since the collapse of the March ceasefire. But the real test lies in what comes next and in the many details that have been left unsaid.
What is left to discuss?
Senior officials from Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and the United States joined the delegations in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, the third day of talks. Mediators urged both sides to bridge their remaining differences over Trump’s 20-point proposal.
That pressure appears to have worked for the first phase of the agreement. However, it is still unclear whether negotiators made progress on the more contentious issues, including Trump’s demand that Hamas demilitarise and questions over who will govern Gaza once the fighting stops. Trump’s initial plan envisioned a postwar Gaza governing authority potentially headed by the former UK prime minister Tony Blair. It was criticised for sidelining key Palestinian political figures. Hamas had insisted in talks that a group of Palestinians lead a technocratic government.
The plan stated that governance of the Gaza Strip would eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA), but Netanyahu, and his far-right backers in government, have pushed back heavily against this.
What are international leaders saying
World leaders on Thursday expressed hope for peace and urged Israel and Hamas to honour their commitments after US president Donald Trump announced that both sides had agreed to the “first phase” of a deal, marking a major breakthrough in the two-year war in Gaza.
UN secretary general António Guterres said in a statement: “The United Nations will support the full implementation of the agreement and will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief. We will also advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer called the announcement “a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world”.
Here is how some other world leaders responded, according to the Associated Press:
• Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim: “This development offers a semblance of hope after months of unbearable suffering and devastation.”
• Argentine president Javier Milei: “I want to take the opportunity to say that I will sign the candidacy of Donald J Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to international peace. Any other leader with similar achievements would have received it a long time ago,” the libertarian leader and Trump ally wrote.
• Canadian prime minister Mark Carney: “I am relieved that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families. After years of intense suffering, peace finally feels attainable.”
• Australian PM Anthony Albanese described the agreement as a “ray of light”. It brought “hope that after eight decades of conflict and terror, we can break this cycle of violence and build something better”.
• Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi: “This agreement is an important step toward de-escalating the situation and achieving the two-state solution.”
• New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters: “Over the past two years, both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely. Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”
Will it hold?
What looms in everyone’s mind is the memory of the last two ceasefires that collapsed, one in November 2023 and the other in January 2025.
In Gaza, paramedic Saeed Awad said he was initially sceptical about the possibility of another truce after so many failed attempts. “They all ended in failure. So we didn’t really pay attention to this (round),” he said. When he first heard the news, Awad said, he had to check with others, seeking confirmation. “We have been in this war and in this suffering for two years,” Awad said.
That scepticism is shared by many in Gaza, where airstrikes have continued despite a partial scaling back of Israel’s military campaign. Gaza’s health authorities said eight people were killed in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours, the lowest toll in weeks. In recent months, daily deaths had been roughly ten times higher as Israeli forces advanced on Gaza City.
In Israel, Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen said this moment is what they’d been waiting for. “It could have come much earlier. Let this next three days pass with no one trying to sabotage it,” he said.
The success of the deal will depend largely on the commitment of the US president. Only Trump can apply the pressure needed to prevent Benjamin Netanyahu from sending Israeli forces back into the devastated enclave.
For Trump, much may rest on how this moment is remembered. His focus on his legacy and his desire for a Nobel peace prize could be a big incentive for ensuring the agreement holds.
If it does, the deal would stand as his most significant foreign policy achievement so far.
