(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have formally agreed to the initial phase of a US-crafted peace plan aimed at resolving the war in Gaza.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform. He added, “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.”

Emphasizing fairness, the president assured that all parties involved will be “treated fairly.” He called the agreement a “great day” not only for the Arab and Muslim world but also for Israel, neighboring countries, and the United States. Trump extended gratitude to mediators, singling out Türkiye, “who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.” He closed with the biblical affirmation, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Earlier in the day, Trump hinted at a possible trip to Egypt this weekend, citing promising developments in ceasefire talks. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” he told reporters, adding there is “a very good chance” of progress in the negotiations. Trump revealed he had just received a message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating, “we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly.”

Since Monday, indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas have been taking place in Egypt to negotiate the details of the US-proposed plan. According to the Egyptian state media outlet Al-Qahera News, the talks include key figures such as US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

The comprehensive 20-point framework, unveiled on September 29, calls for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a ceasefire agreement, and the disarmament of Hamas. Hamas has given its preliminary endorsement of the plan.

The conflict has taken a devastating toll since October 2023, with Israeli military operations killing nearly 67,200 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children, leaving the territory largely uninhabitable.

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