What we know
- DEAL ANNOUNCED: President Donald Trump announced last night that the “first phase” of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza had been agreed to. It includes a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
- TRUMP TO TRAVEL TO EGYPT: Trump said he plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing of the ceasefire deal in opening remarks at his White House Cabinet meeting.
- ISRAELI GOVERNMENT APPROVAL: The Israeli government approved the historic deal to end the conflict in Gaza. Scenes from Gaza of devastation and hunger, as well as a famine declaration, have prompted outrage around the world and left Israel isolated diplomatically.
- HOSTAGES TO BE RELEASED: The White House said it expects hostages to be released Monday. Forty-eight hostages remain to be returned, 20 of whom Israel says it believes are still alive.
- TROOP DEPLOYMENT: The U.S. military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 U.S. troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave, two U.S. officials familiar with the planning said.
- TOLL OF TWO-YEAR WAR: The agreement comes almost two years to the day after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Since then, more than 67,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
- 20-POINT PLAN: Read Trump’s plan for peace in 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.
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Palestinians in Rafah praised Arab mediators and Trump for their efforts to end the war, with one man expressing relief that “this genocide against the Palestinian people has been halted.”
Another man said: "We are always responding moment by moment. Honestly, every year feels like 10 years in the history of the Palestinian people."
How the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal came together
Trump’s personal touch — both as a heavy hand and a gentle guide — played a pivotal role at key moments in the development of a Middle East peace deal that promises to bring an end to Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, current and former officials in the United States and other nations told NBC News.
Trump announced yesterday that the “first phase” of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza had been agreed to, with a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Trump called it “a great deal” in a brief interview with NBC News this morning. “Everybody is happy,” he said.
The deal accelerated over several crucial moments — Israel’s strike on Qatar, discussions on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York City and Jared Kushner’s conversations with his father-in-law, these sources said.
Witkoff says Hamas had to accept peace deal
Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas had to accept Trump's peace deal at the meeting of the Israeli government focused on "the approval of the hostages release framework," Netanyahu's office said on X.
"Here we are today because Hamas had to, they had to, do this deal. The pressure was on them. They were backed up. And you've got the bigger army. You were making inroads, and that's what led to this deal," Witkoff said in the video, seated at a table with Netanyahu and Jared Kushner.
U.S. said to be prepping to send 200 troops to Israel for Gaza support
The U.S. military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 U.S. troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave, two U.S. officials familiar with the planning said.
The U.S. troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning, the officials said.
“They will not be in Gaza. No U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” one of the officials said.
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire deal
The Israeli government has approved the historic deal to end the conflict in Gaza, after a brutal two-year war that has ravaged the Palestinian enclave and sparked a global outcry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s said early Friday local time.
"The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages — the living and the deceased," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on X.
Under the terms of the deal, the ceasefire should take effect within 24 hours.
The deal includes the release of all living and dead hostages. Furthermore, Israel is to release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
The agreement also stipulates that Hamas will lay down arms, Israeli troops will withdraw from the territory, and humanitarian aid will be delivered.
Palestinians in Gaza express relief and caution as ceasefire deal raises hopes of ending the war
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Eager for the bloodshed, displacement and destruction to stop, many Palestinians in Gaza were relieved to hear news that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war. But it was mixed with pain from staggering losses and concern about what comes next.
“Once we heard the news about the truce, we felt happy,” said Ibrahim Shurrab from Khan Younis. “We ask God for the happiness to continue for us and for our Palestinian people and for us to return to our homes despite the pain and suffering,” he added, speaking in Muwasi, an area crowded with tents sheltering Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes.
Nevin Qudeeh said she felt the greatest sense of relief since the war erupted two years ago. She’ll be even happier, she added, when she can return home.
“We’re staying on the streets.”
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused vast destruction, displacement and suffering in Gaza. The war also brought famine to parts of the territory.
Republicans and Democrats praise Trump for brokering ceasefire deal
Both Republican and Democratic senators praised Trump for brokering the peace plan between Israel and Hamas.
"I applaud President Trump and the team ... for getting to this step,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said: “Right now, I am on tenterhooks, because the exciting prospect of this peace deal is monumental. Nothing like it in recent history, potentially, and there are a lot of people who deserve credit for it if it happens. President Trump is among them.”
Several Senate Republicans told NBC News that Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work negotiating this ceasefire agreement, as well as the deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Just look at the rest of the conflicts he’s solved just in the first eight months, so there’s no doubt that he should get it,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said that if any other president had negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he or she would receive the Nobel Peace Prize without question.
“No one else could have done that in the world but the president, and the idea that he was able to do it definitely deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. But, you know, there’s a lot of people that need to make those decisions that give them out for political reasons, not for the right reason,” Mullin said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner tomorrow.
Israeli security minister threatens to 'bring down the government' unless Hamas is 'dismantled'
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, said on X that his party will “bring down the government” unless Hamas is “dismantled.”
“In conversations held between the Prime Minister and me in recent days, I made clear that under no circumstances will I be part of a government that allows Hamas’ rule in Gaza to continue,” Ben-Gvir wrote. “This is a clear red line. The Prime Minister has committed to me that this will be so.”
“I told the Prime Minister, and I say to you as well, citizens of Israel: I will not be party to any deception. If Hamas’ rule is not dismantled, or if we are merely told that it has been dismantled while in fact it continues to exist under another guise — Otzma Yehudit will bring down the government,” Ben-Gvir added, referring to his ultranationalist political party.
Slain hostage's mother reflects on pain for families
Rachel Goldberg, the mother of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, reflected on the stark difference between getting a loved one back alive from Hamas captivity or dead. “For 28 of the families, this is an extremely, profoundly sad day for the rest of their lives,” she said.
Obama says world should be 'encouraged and relieved' by deal
Former President Barack Obama said on X that the international community should be "encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is in sight."
Obama said the same goes for the fact that "hostages still being held will be reunited with their families" and "vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered."
"More than that, though, it now falls on Israelis and Palestinians, with the support of the U.S. and the entire world community, to begin the hard task of rebuilding Gaza — and to commit to a process that, by recognizing the common humanity and basic rights of both peoples, can achieve a lasting peace," he added.
