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Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza

Gaza ceasefire: What we know about the first phase

After two years of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, US President Donald Trump announced early on Thursday that a ceasefire has been agreed by both sides.

According to Qatar, Israel and Hamas have agreed on the details of the first phase of a deal to bring an end to the war, part of the US’s “peace plan". 

Details of the first phase have not yet been officially released.

However, media reports indicate it includes three main provisions: a prisoner exchange, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a phased Israeli withdrawal.

Within 72 hours of signing the agreement - expected to take place later on Thursday in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh - all of the remaining 20 living Israeli captives will be released at once, without any formal ceremony.

Read more: Gaza ceasefire: What we know about the first phase

Palestinian women walk near rubble, after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip 9 October 2025 (Reuters/Ramadan Abed)
Palestinian women in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, 9 October 2025 (Reuters/Ramadan Abed)