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(from left) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office in Washington, DC.
President Donald Trump announced that "both signed off" on the first phase of a peace deal.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that Israel and Hamas have “both signed off” on the first phase of a peace deal that will see all remaining Israeli hostages released as soon as this weekend.
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In a 6:51 p.m. Truth Social post, Trump wrote that “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon” and that Israel will withdraw troops “to an agreed upon line” as part of what he called a “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.” The plan, brokered with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, represents the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the Gaza conflict began two years and one day ago, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli civilians, killing more than 1,200 people and sparking a war that has since killed tens of thousands.
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Associated Press White House reporter Seung Min Kim confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that, according to AP sources, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages this weekend as Israel withdraws from the majority of Gaza.
The deal follows an explosive September report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, citing systematic killings, starvation, and the targeting of civilians, including children. U.N. officials have urged Israel to end the war and lift the siege immediately.
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UNICEF says more than 64,000 children have been killed or maimed. If implemented, the agreement could mark the first real pause in one of the century’s most catastrophic wars.
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