President Trump boasted Thursday that Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip would be home within days, the Pentagon drafted plans to lead a peacekeeping force in the region, and the Israeli government approved a ceasefire with Hamas.
In this way, the Trump-brokered peace deal announced Wednesday night solidified, and the world breathed a sigh of relief that the bloodshed in the region was finally ending.
The ceasefire deal was the most significant step toward peace since Hamas’ terrorist rampage in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that slaughtered some 1,200 Jews. It would end the brutal two-year period that has left tens of thousands of Gaza residents dead and Gaza City in ruins and sparked a massive humanitarian crisis.
“We reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East, something that people said was never going to be done,” Mr. Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
The president said all remaining hostages will be released Monday or Tuesday. He also announced plans to travel to the region for a signing ceremony and to potentially speak to the Israeli Knesset.
“I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully, an everlasting peace,” he said.
Mr. Trump didn’t provide much clarity about the next steps, including answers to thornier questions about what a postwar Gaza will look like for Palestinians or what guarantees are in place to ensure Hamas disarms and Israel does not resume its offensive.
“We’ll see,” said Mr. Trump, adding that the return of hostages was his priority.
He promised that no one would be forced to leave Gaza.
When asked about creating a Palestinian state, he said it would depend on the outcome of phase 1 of the ceasefire plan.
The U.S. is sending 200 troops to Israel to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire deal in Gaza, officials said. The U.S. Central Command will create a civil-military coordination center in Israel to offer Palestinians security and humanitarian support.
U.S. forces will join soldiers from other nations, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, but will not go into Gaza, officials said.
In the coming days, the most critical task will be to ensure that Israel and Hamas stick to the deal and agree on the exact lines for Israel’s military withdrawal. Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan calls for Israeli forces to pull back to a line marked on a map, but Hamas has asked for more specific details on how that line will be determined.
The two sides are still negotiating this detail, said sources familiar with the talks.
Those issues must be resolved before Israel and Hamas can hammer out the later stages of Mr. Trump’s plan, including the formation of an interim government in Gaza, reconstruction of the enclave and the presence of an international peacekeeping force.
“You’ve got a question of how do you build the peace that all seems to be completely uncertain, completely subject to further negotiations and delaying and stalling and could break down in the end,” said John Hannah, former national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and deputy national security adviser for the Middle East for President George W. Bush.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces skepticism about the deal from within his government. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would vote to bring down the government if Hamas is not dismantled. He also said he would vote against the deal, which was ratified.
If Israel and Hamas adopt Mr. Trump’s full 20-point plan, the president would chair a “board of peace” that would oversee a committee of Palestinian officials who would operate Gaza. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would play a role in the effort, as would Arab and Muslim countries, which would provide a security force.
Before either side can get there, they need to hammer out many difficult issues in which Hamas and Israel have major disagreements, such as Hamas’ disarmament.
Previous peace deals in the Middle East crumbled quickly, but experts say this time is different and this ceasefire and the broader peace plan have an opportunity to succeed.
“If President Trump continues to engage, then I think we could be going down a different pathway than before,” said Will Todman, a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic Studies. “Having the involvement of the President of the United States is important, and his willingness to wield leverage, to force compromise from Israel, in particular, is important.
The announcement of the hostage release and peace deal was met with jubilation across the Middle East.
Residents in Tel Aviv and Gaza celebrated in the streets, with some on both sides of the conflict chanting Mr. Trump’s name.
“Donald Trump! Donald Trump!” residents in Gaza could be heard cheering after the announcement that Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group had agreed to the first phase of a peace plan.
“Nobel Prize to Trump,” people in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square chanted as they danced and waved American flags.
Arab leaders also praised Mr. Trump for his efforts to bring peace to the war-torn enclave and for taking a leadership role in pushing negotiations forward.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised “the effective role of His Excellency U.S. President Donald Trump” while thanking Qatar and Egypt, which helped mediate peace talks.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the Arab nation’s “appreciation for the efforts” of Mr. Trump and “his decisive role in reaching the agreement.”
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Affairs Ministry underscored Mr. Trump’s “prominent and important role” in the peace process.