NOW THAT US President Donald Trump has announced the approval by Hamas and Israeli delegations of the first phase of his plan to bring the conflict in Gaza to an end, what comes next?

Qatar, which helped broker the agreement along with Egypt, the United States and Turkey, said the deal was the “first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”.

“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan... BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/lAUxi1UPYh

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 8, 2025

The declaration has been met with jubilation by Israelis and Palestinians alike, but we have been here before. 

A multi-phase plan to end Israel’s devastating onslaught on the Palestinian territory was nominally agreed earlier this year. 

That agreement fell apart after its first phase when Israel broke the ceasefire and imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip. 

Another caveat to bear in mind is that the deal needs to be approved by the Israeli cabinet today. Previous moves towards a ceasefire have been scuppered by the extremist members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

So, if it does receive cabinet approval, what does phase one of this latest agreement mean for both sides?

People in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv celebrate the announcement of the provisional agreement today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Captive exchange

As part of the first phase, Hamas has agreed to release all 20 living hostages taken during the October 2023 attack on Israel. There remain 28 dead hostages in Gaza but the retrieval of their bodies is expected to take some time.

In turn, Israel has agreed to release almost 2,000 imprisoned Palestinians – 250 of whom are serving life sentences but the majority of whom have been detained since October 2023.

The exchange should take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the deal, which was also “agreed with Palestinian factions”, a source within Hamas said.

A daily minimum of 400 trucks of aid will enter the Gaza Strip for the first five days of the ceasefire, and will be increased in the following days, according to the same source who spoke to the AFP news agency.

It also provides for the “return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north immediately,” they added.

The deal stipulates “scheduled withdrawals” of Israeli troops, the Hamas top official said, and includes “guarantees from President Trump and the mediators”.

Hamas has called on Trump to compel Israel to fully implement the agreement and “not allow it to evade or procrastinate in implementing what has been agreed”.

As well as providing for the exchange of captives, the first phase of the deal also stipulates that Israeli forces must withdraw from their advanced position inside the Gaza Strip, although they will not withdraw completely from the territory. 

What next?

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said both sides had already agreed “on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement”.

Netanyahu said he will convene his government today to approve the deal, which is expected to be formally signed today in Egypt, a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A Hamas official said negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire would begin “immediately”.

The details of the rest of the 20-point plan, which was largely crafted by former UK prime minister Tony Blair, is still to be hammered – something that will likely prove more difficult as it includes the full disarmament of Hamas. 

With reporting from AFP 

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