*Deal Expected To Be Signed Today
*Living Israeli Hostages Free On Saturday
*Israeli Troops To Withdraw To Agreed Line
*Hamas Seeks Guarantee That Israel Won’t Bomb Again, Once Hostages Released
*Blessed Are The Peacemakers –Trump
US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the “first phase” of his plan to end the Gaza war.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump posts on Truth Social.
“All Parties will be treated fairly!”, he reiterated in a message widely understood to be directed at Hamas, which has sought guarantees from Trump that he won’t allow Israel to resume the war once the hostages are released
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America; and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” Trump continued
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he added,
Hamas is expected to release all the remaining living hostages on Saturday, two sources familiar with the negotiations said.
The deal will be signed Thursday (today) in Egypt, sources said.
It should bring to an end a brutal two-year war which broke out when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023, killing over 1200 Israelis in the process.
In retaliation, Israel waged air and ground war on Gaza, Hamas’ stronghold, literally levelling the city.
Close to 70,000 persons, including journalists, were killed, many high-rise buildings crumbled by relentless air fire with many more thousands of people perishing beneath the rubble.
Israel also imposed a crushing starvation regime on inhabitants of the city, leading to any deaths, especially of children, with survivors suffering extreme hunger as many aid groups were turned back from helping civilians in Gaza.
Israel justified its starvation policy by claiming that the sought-after Hamas terrorists were deeply embedded among the civilians.
*PHOTO CAPTION: I did it at last –Trump seems to say.
