President Trump announced on Wednesday evening that both Israel and Hamas have “signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” and all hostages will be released “very soon.”
“Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” he said. There are reportedly 20 living hostages in Hamas custody.
During a roundtable event earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived mid-event, and he passed a note to President Trump, which read, “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump after handing him a note about a Middle East deal saying “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first” pic.twitter.com/ISEJ2RsUOq
— Evan Vucci (@evanvucci) October 8, 2025
Upon Rubio’s arrival, the President asked him to address questions on the conflict, but he declined to do so in front of the press. Moments later, Rubio passed Trump a note, and the President announced that “I was just given a note by the Secretary of State, saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly.”
He later told reporters that he needed to leave “to try and solve some problems in the Middle East.”
WATCH:
Trump later announced the completion of phase one of the plan with a message, signed “DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”
“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,” he said. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. 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. All Parties will be treated fairly! 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. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!
DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Per the Associated Press:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Hamas said separately that the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops as well as allow for the entry of aid and exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.
It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory. But the agreement nonetheless marked the most momentous development since a deal in January and February that involved the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The deal was solidified in Egypt after days of negotiations centered on a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.
This is a developing story.
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