“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed the first phase of our peace plan. This means that all hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw its troops according to an agreed-upon line, as a first step towards a strong and lasting peace. This is a historic day.” The announcement came shortly before 1:00 AM Italian time tonight. With a post on his social media platform Truth, Donald Trump wanted to put his seal on the first part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Immediately beforehand, Secretary of State Mark Rubio had handed him a note that photographers managed to read: “You must approve a post on Truth soon so we can be the first to announce the agreement.”
The official signing is scheduled for 11 a.m. today, but immediately after Trump, the parties involved also intervened: Hamas announced the reaching of an agreement that determines the end of the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of the IDF, the entry of aid, and the exchange of prisoners, after responsible and serious negotiations, according to a statement."We deeply appreciate the efforts of the brother mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and we also appreciate the efforts of US President Donald Trump to definitively end the war and achieve the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip."
On the other front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene the cabinet today to approve the agreement and bring home – probably by Monday – all the hostages. In exchange, two thousand Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released. According to Israeli officials, quoted by the daily newspaper Haaretz,"Israel will withdraw from most cities, except Rafah."
This is the first part of the agreement, but the reaction on the streets of Palestine was immediate: the population – those who survived two years of extermination – took to the streets to celebrate. But in Tel Aviv, too, relatives of those still in Hamas's hands took to the streets: 48, only 20 of whom are still alive. Some key points remained outside the agreement, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the issue of governance in Gaza, and the release of Marwan Barghouti, former leader of Fatah and the second intifada and a symbolic figure of the Palestinian resistance. The same should be true for Ahmed Saadat, another political figure not tied to Hamas, secretary general of the Popular Front, accused by Israel of orchestrating the assassination of minister Rehavam Zeevi. Negotiations on their behalf are far from over.
But what does Trump gain from all this, beyond his Nobel Peace Prize nomination?"Gaza will be a peaceful and much safer place," he declared in an interview with Fox News."The other countries in the region will contribute to the reconstruction because they have enormous wealth, and the United States will be committed to helping them achieve success and maintain peace."
In the minutes that the American president was announcing the agreement, new Israeli raids were hitting Gaza City: Palestinians who have abandoned the city in recent weeks are being advised not to return to the North. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued an order last night for troops to"be prepared for any scenario."
