Israel, Hamas sign off on phase 1 of Gaza plan

A meeting to discuss Gaza’s post-war transition wrapped up in Paris, with high-ranking officials from several countries in attendance.

"We discussed the major fields to which we intend to contribute security, governance, reconstruction and humanitarian aid," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters after the meeting.

"We will share them with the United States so that they can integrate them," Barrot added.

Attendees discussed the presence of peacekeeping troops, a legal framework for a postwar plan, and ensuring Hamas can no longer pose a threat were among the topics to be discussed at the meeting, the Times of Israel reported.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was among those in attendance.

"Today, we Europeans are meeting in Paris with many partners, especially from the Arab world, with whom we have worked intensively in recent weeks to reach this agreement," Wadephul said.

Representatives from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, the EU, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey and Canada, are said to have been in attendance.

Israel rejected the gathering in Paris, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar calling the summit "unnecessary and harmful.”

Israel's far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he and his party members are expected vote against the ceasefire deal.

"We are happy about the release of all the hostages, but we will vote against the release of murderers," Ben-Gvir said in a statement. He claimed that the deal would be releasing "thousands of terrorists, including 250 murderers."

"This is an unbearable price," Ben-Gvir said.

The far-right minister also sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the dismantling of Hamas.

"If the Hamas rule is not dismantled, or if they only tell us that it is dismantled while in reality it will continue to exist under a different guise — Otzma Yehudit will dismantle the government," he warned.

Despite the members of Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party likely voting against the deal, it is expected to be approved by the Israeli government. 

Germany Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul appealed for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip as soon as possible following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"We call for the people of Gaza to be taken into account as soon as the hostages are being released and the ceasefire comes into force," Wadephul said,

The Foreign Minister spoke to reporters ahead of a meeting in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss how to rebuild Gaza after a lasting ceasefire is secured. 

Other foreign  ministers from the EU and the Middle East are also attending the Paris meeting. 

DW was able to speak with several people in Nuseirat, a displaced persons camp in central Gaza, about their reactions to the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Mahmoud, 36, a displaced taxi driver from Gaza City, said that "we hope things are serious this time."

"But I, as a citizen — and if you ask anyone else — no one really has hope that this war is truly over. Even if it ends, people are not truly happy. There’s a lump in their throat, because they fear that after the prisoners are handed over, war might return. Most expect — 90% believe — it will come back," he said.

Eman, a 24-year-old displaced physiotherapist from Gaza city, said that she feels like people in Gaza have "lost hope."

"We were pulled out from under the rubble after I lost my father, my mother, my sister, and my family. I don't feel happy, and I’m not excited about anything, because we've lost so much."

"We hope the truce continues, even though we’ve been promised many times and let down many times," she said.

 Susan, a 52-year-old housewife from Tuffah, east of Gaza city, welcomed the news of a ceasefire, but said it brought no joy.  

 "You can see how Gaza has been destroyed — all of Gaza is destroyed. We are going back to rubble, with no house, no water, and no electricity," she said.

"We hope they will be truthful in what they say, and that reconstruction will come, because all of Gaza is destroyed."

US President Donald Trump said he expects the Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip to be released on Monday or Tuesday.

Trump also added he will try and travel to the Middle East for the signing of the deal.

"We're going to try and get over there, and we're working on the timing," the US President said at a cabinet meeting, while also vowing to rebuild Gaza.

Israel's security cabinet is currently meeting ahead of a government vote on approving the first phase of the deal with Hamas. The meeting had been postponed while some details about Palestinian prisoners to be released was worked out, Israel's Channel 12 television station reported. 

The ceasefire is expected to begin after 24 hours of the government approval. 

The deal is expected to go through, despite some far-right ministers' objections.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement on the first phase of the deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, urging both sides to "abide by the agreement."

"For Israelis and Palestinians alike, the ceasefire & hostage release deal offers a glimmer of relief," Guterres posted on his X account. 

"That glimmer must become the dawn of peace; the beginning of the end of this devastating war," he said, adding that he hopes the two-state solution would return to the table after the war in Gaza ends.

According to Guterres, "the stakes have never been higher."

As Israel's Security Cabinet gathers to decide on a deal that could finally bring home the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, emotions are running high at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square. DW's Tania Krämer gauges the mood.

US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Israel on Sunday, according to the Israeli presidential office.

The office announced the cancellation of an event planned for Sunday, saying it was due to the "expected release of the hostages and the imminent visit of US President Donald Trump in Israel."

Trump had said earlier said he would visit the Middle East "maybe on Sunday."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he told the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to "respond with great force" should Hamas attempt to harm Israeli soldiers before a ceasefire takes effect. 

"Safeguarding the security of IDF soldiers is our foremost obligation in the current situation," Katz said in a statement.

The Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the coming hours.

Israeli media has been widely covering the agreement between Israel and militant group Hamas. 

"After two years, Israel wakes up from a nightmare," reads the headline of newspaper Haaretz's top story.

According to journalist Avi Issascharof from news website ynet, both Israel and Hamas will now be able to argue they won the war, despite the fact both sides compromised on several of their core issues. 

To get the first part of the deal over the finish line, Hamas has had to give up on having the IDF withdrawing from Gaza completely during the first phase. Israel has held off on the aspiration to reach Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's long-promised "total victory" over Hamas and destroy the organization's abilities completely. 

"Without completing Trump's plan, this ceasefire is temporary, and it's not clear whether it would hold," Issascharof writes. The second phase of Trump's plan calls for a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee," to take over initial governance of Gaza, without including Hamas. 

The initial deal also does not mention the process of disarming Hamas, which was a critical part of the plan.  

Many Israeli outlets mention the fact that Hamas will continue to exist in some form after the agreement's implementation, which many of the Israeli government's far-right members demanded.
 

Turkey said it is prepared to join a task force that also includes Israel, the US, Qatar and Egypt, that will set out to find the remains of deceased hostages in Gaza, a senior Turkish official cited by the Reuters news agency has said.

Israel says there are still about 20 hostages alive in Gaza, while the bodies of around 28 others remain in the Palestinian enclave, some at unknown locations.

Hamas and other militant groups took more than 250 hostages during their October 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. 

Of the 251 hostages taken to Gaza, 148 have been returned to Israel alive. Eight were recovered by the IDF; the remaining 140 were released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel. The remains of several dead hostages have also been returned to Israel.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) confirmed that the first draft of the ceasefire deal with Hamas had been signed this morning, while also laying out the timeline for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. 

According to PMO spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian, the Israeli cabinet will hold a meeting at 17:00 local time in Israel (1400 UTC), with the Israeli government holding a meeting to approve the agreement an hour afterwards.

Some 24 hours after the government's approval — which is expected despite objections from some far-right ministers — the ceasefire agreement is set to come into effect, the spokeswoman said. 

A 72-hour deadline for releasing both living and deceased Israeli hostages held in Gazawill begin 24 hours after the government meeting on Thursday evening, according to the Prime Minister's office.

The Times of Israel reports that hostage releases are expected on Monday. 

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday: "They are all coming back on Monday."

Badrosian also said Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, considered a potential future leader of the Palestinian Authority, will not be released as part of the deal.