Israel and Hamas Expected to Sign Deal Shortly
BBC News
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US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his Gaza peace deal – what we know so far at a glance
The agreement would see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the entry of aid into Gaza
Israel's government will meet today, and if it formally approves the deal, a ceasefire will go into effect. It is seen as virtually certain to pass, writes Yolande Knell
The US says all the remaining Israeli hostages would be released on Monday – here's a timeline of possible next steps
Hamas confirms the deal, but a Palestinian source tells the BBC it has not yet received the final list of prisoners that Israel plans to release in exchange
This is a significant moment but there is no guarantee that a peace deal for Gaza will happen, as crucial details still need to be worked out, writes Hugo Bachega
Palestinians in Gaza and hostage families in Israel have been celebrating the breakthrough, which came after intense negotiations in Egypt
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the agreement "a great day" for his country, while UK PM Keir Starmer says it is a "moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world"
Edited by Alex Smith and James Gregory, with reporting from Alice Cuddy, Yolande Knell and Hugo Bachega in Jerusalem
As we've been reporting, US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his Gaza peace deal.
If approved by the Israeli government, the deal would see all Israeli hostages and some Palestinian prisoners released, entry of aid into Gaza, and the withdrawal of the Israeli military to an agreed upon line.
The Israel Defense Forces says it has already begun preparations to "adjust deployment lines".
Here's how the next few days are expected to play out:
Thursday
The Israeli government will meet at 17:00 Jerusalem time (15:00 BST) to discuss and then formally vote on the plan. If it gets cabinet approval – which our correspondent says it is widely expected to do so – then the ceasefire will go into immediate effect.
The Israeli prime minister's office says that then the 72-hour countdown for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be returned will begin.
Two top US officials – US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a former senior advisor to the president and his son-in-law – will travel to Israel later this evening, according to reports in Israeli media.
Friday
A senior White House official speaking to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, says that it will likely take less than 24 hours for Israeli troops to finish withdrawing.
Monday
Trump says the 20 hostages believed to be alive will be reunited with their families on Monday. 
Lucy Manning
Special correspondent
I've just spoken to Steve Brisley in Wales, who has been campaigning for the return of his relative Yossi Sharabi’s body, after he was taken from his home on 7 October.
Steve’s British-Israeli sister and nieces Lianne, Noiya and Yahel Sharabi were killed on 7 October.
“There’s relief. It feels unreal. This will give Yossi the dignity he deserves and our family closure to this chapter of the nightmare…he lived peacefully, laughed loudly and loved deeply.”
But he says there's still caution.
“There can always be obstacles between now and then because we are dealing with a terrorist organisation.
"I’m worried that they can’t find all of the bodies or they maybe hold onto a few and say they don’t know where they are, a final attempt at psychological torture, and we’re not going to know which bodies that is until the coming days – so there is still that tension,” he says.
"The world is witnessing a historic moment", Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi writes – his country was a key mediator of negotiations.
He describes Sharm El-Sheikh, which played host to discussions, as the "city of peace and the cradle of dialogue".
"This agreement does not only close the chapter of war; it also opens the door of hope for the peoples of the region for a future defined by justice and stability," he says.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry earlier described the ceasefire as a "positive development" and a "turning point" in the war.
In a statement, it added that foreign minister Badr Abdelatty will head to Paris to take part in a ministerial meeting organised by France over the situation in Gaza.
The ceasefire and hostage deal is a long-awaited breakthrough, Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega writes, but there is no guarantee that this will end the war, with crucial details still needing to be worked out.
These "thorny issues" include the topic of Hamas giving up its weapons, something it has repeatedly refused to do, and plans for post-war governance and rebuilding of Gaza – much of which lies in ruins, Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell writes.
This is, most of all, a human moment, writes international correspondent Lyse Doucet. But it's bittersweet too, she adds, with grumblings that it's similar to the deal put forward by former US President Joe Biden as early as last May – and warnings that it cannot fall apart.
Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf says there's a sense of happiness in Gaza, explaining that people were waiting all night and for two years to get to this moment.
Reporting from Jerusalem, Alice Cuddy speaks to Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn remains in Hamas captivity. They're "grateful", Cusnir says, but won't celebrate "until the end".
Want to know what it was like in the White House as the deal was announced? Our White House reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr describes a flurry of activity, and journalists sprinting outside as the statement dropped after several tense hours. 
Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem
A Gaza ceasefire is only expected to come into effect when this deal is ratified by the Israeli government.
The security cabinet is expected to meet first at 17:00 local time (15:00 BST) to discuss the agreement, before it goes to the full cabinet for a vote.
In Israel, it is seen as virtually certain to pass.
The cabinet must sign off on the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli jails. According to Israeli law, 48 hours must also be given for Israelis to make legal appeals against any names that appear.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the deal "a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel."
But his far-right coalition allies have vehemently opposed any deal with Hamas.
Writing on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says there must be “the true eradication of Hamas” once the hostages are returned home. He says he will not vote in favour of the deal but stops short of threatening to topple the government.
Tom Bennett
Reporting from Jerusalem
Our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza have been speaking to people this morning about the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
"Usually, we wake up to the sounds of bombings, destruction, rockets, and bad news," said 38-year-old Umm Hassan. "But today, we woke up to good news."
“Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting, and those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and wondering how we would return home without them.”
Many are happy to see an end to the war – but are fearful of confronting the grief that has built up over two years.
“I lost my son – he was 16 years old," said Umm. "This morning, when we heard the news about the truce, it brought both joy and pain.”
“Every person who lost someone feels that sorrow deeply and wonders how they’ll return home without them.”
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a former senior advisor to Trump and his son-in-law, will travel to Israel tonight, according to reports in Israeli media.
The pair were among those sent to Egypt to take part in deal negotiations in for a peace deal. Trump earlier said they were "tremendous help".
In its daily update on the death toll in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says a further 11 people have been killed in Gaza in the last 24 hours.
That means a total of 67,194 have been killed since 7 October 2023, it says.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is "ready to scale up its work to meet the dire health needs" in Gaza, its director-general says.
In a post on X reacting to the news of the deal, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus writes that the WHO will also "support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system" in the region.
He writes that: "The best medicine is peace.
"I hope all parties will respect the agreement, so the suffering of all civilians finally ends and all hostages are brought home respectfully."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the announcement of an agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
For context, the Palestinian Authority governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but does not govern Gaza.
In a post on the Palestinian Authority's foreign affairs ministry's social media, it says Abbas expresses hope that "these efforts would be a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution", leading to "an end to the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state".
It says Abbas affirms his readiness to work to ensure the agreement's success, and calls for its immediate implementation.Lucy Manning
Special correspondent
Around 20 Israeli hostages are thought to be alive, including:
Childhood friends Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Hamas has released videos of the men in an emaciated state, with David being made to dig his own grave deep in the Hamas tunnels.
Avinatan Or’s British-Israeli mother says she just wants to put her ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat again. He was taken with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, from the Nova festival.
Alon Ohel, 24, is a talented pianist. Hamas recently released a captivity video of him showing what his family say is the lost sight in one eye.
Twins Gali and Ziv Berman, both 28, are believed to be alive. Ziv was taken as he was protecting former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari – who was released earlier this year and celebrated with his family last night.
There have been fears for Nepalese agricultural student Bipin Joshi. His family yesterday released a Hamas video filmed just after he was taken hostage and said they do believe he is still alive.
The bodies of those killed on 7 October, and those killed as hostages, would also return – although there is concern Hamas won’t be able to locate them all.
They include teenagers Oz Daniel and Itay Chen who were serving as soldiers.
Eighty-five-year-olds Amiram Cooper and Aryeh Zalmanovich – whose son says was “murdered” in a Gaza hospital.
The body of one woman, Inbar Haiman, who was taken from the Nova festival, is still held.
Muhammed el-Atrash was a Bedouin in the Israeli army and the father of 13 children.
Joshua Mollel from Tanzania was working as an agricultural student in Israel. His body was taken after he was killed on 7 October.
The British family of Yossi Sharabi have campaigned for the release of his body. His brother Eli Sharabi told the BBC last week how important it was for the family to have a funeral and closure.
A family photo of Evyatar David. In August, Hamas released a video showing an emaciated David in a narrow concrete tunnel
Crowds of people have been gathering in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square since the announcement was made to celebrate.
As a reminder, the first phase of the Gaza peace deal would see the release of all the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in the Strip.
Here's a recap of what's included in phase one – and how the next few days could play out.
Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem
I’ve been getting more messages from contacts in Gaza with reactions to news of the ceasefire agreement.
Doaa Abu Zaidah, who is displaced in a camp in the south with her young children, describes the deal as “something wonderful and unbelievable”.
She tells me she hopes it means that “finally the nightmare is over” – “it will end and the bloodshed will stop”.
But she adds that there are “mixed feelings of happiness and sadness” as people in Gaza reflect today on all they have lost over the past two years.
World leaders have been continuing to react to last night's announcement:
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Of the 251 people taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023, there are believed to be 48 hostages still being held in Gaza – 20 of whom are thought to be alive.
So far 148 people have been returned – most as part of previous ceasefire deals – 51 bodies have been recovered and eight hostages have been rescued.
Phase one of the agreement announced earlier would see Hamas release all remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
The release of the remaining hostages has long been at the forefront of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demands.Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem
Dalia's brother-in-law is being held captive by Hamas
I’ve just heard from Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn was taken on 7 October 2023 and remains in Gaza – one of 20 hostages believed to be alive.
She tells me she feels like she is living “in a dream” today.
“We’re more than grateful to President Trump and everything he has done for us. We feel like it might be the beginning of the end of this nightmare, and hugging Eitan feels closer than ever,” she says.
But she says it is too soon to celebrate.
“Until the last hostage is here, we’re not opening the champagne. We’re going to keep fighting… until the end,” she says.
“So many things can happen until the last moment so this is why we’re being so, so careful. We just want to thank everyone who was involved in the efforts and make sure this agreement is done… We will celebrate only once we have the last hostage back home.”
Eitan was taken from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel along with his brother Iair, who was released from captivity in the ceasefire deal earlier this year.
Eitan Horn is one of 20 hostages believed to still be aliveAlice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem
“It’s a miracle.”
This is a WhatsApp message I just received from mother of three Hanaa Almadhoun, who is currently displaced in southern Gaza.
She says she feels “relieved and optimistic” and hopes to be able to return to her home in the north.
In central Gaza, Rewaa Mohsen, who I have been in touch with throughout the war, tells me she is “so excited and happy” this morning.
But she says she wishes her mum and sister, who were killed early in the war, were with her for this moment.
“The most important thing is that we won’t lose anyone anymore,” she says.
As we've been reporting, the ceasefire and hostage deal mark a significant breakthrough that brings an end to the war in Gaza closer – but this is only the first phase of Trump’s plan.
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Speaking to press in India, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he strongly welcomes the news of an agreement.
Reading out his earlier statement, Starmer calls it a moment of "profound relief", and says that the UK will support the "crucial and immediate steps" of the ceasefire.
He adds that he hopes it's a "sustainable path to a long-term peace".
The prime minister is speaking during a visit to Mumbai, alongside his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. He said the pair discussed the peace plan.
Israel
Trump
Hamas
Almost two hours into a White House event focused on domestic law enforcement on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered the room and sat down.
Our reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr, who was in the room, says Rubio seemed fidgety. Rubio scrawled a note on a piece of paper, walked over and handed it to Trump – while whispering in his ear.
As reporters yelled questions in his direction, Trump said the note informed him that “we are very close to a deal”.
He exited the room just moments later, saying he had to go to focus on the Middle East.
Less than 10 minutes later, he posted on Truth Social, that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of the US peace plan.
It marks "the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace", he wrote.
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