(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the initiation of “phase two” of the Gaza ceasefire plan, following the release of 20 Israeli hostages during the first stage of the deal brokered by Türkiye, the US, Qatar, and Egypt, according to reports.

"All twenty hostages are back and feeling as good as can be expected," Trump wrote on his social media company Truth Social.

"A big burden has been lifted, but the job is not done. The dead have not been returned, as promised! Phase Two begins right now!!!" he added.

The initial phase saw Hamas and Israel execute a hostage-prisoner exchange, resulting in the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israel’s Ofer military prison and other facilities in the Negev Desert, alongside the 20 living Israeli hostages.

On Monday, Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held a high-level summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, bringing together global leaders to build international backing for the ceasefire plan.

Phase two of the agreement aims to establish a new governing system in Gaza, deploy a multinational force, and carry out the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed over 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, leaving much of the territory virtually uninhabitable, according to reports.

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