Live updates: Trump says Israel and Hamas have signed off on first phase of peace plan

A senior White House official told NBC News that the Israel-Hamas peace deal will be voted on by the Israeli cabinet tomorrow.

Once the cabinet approves the deal, "Israel has to withdraw to the line which should take under 24 hours," the official said.

"Then the 72-hour clock begins, and Hamas will try to go earlier if possible. Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday," the official added.

Democrats and Republicans lauded Trump’s announcement of the first phase of a peace plan to end the war in Gaza, with some Republican senators saying the president is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on X: “I congratulate @POTUS  on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages. Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the agreement encouraging.

“I appreciate President Trump’s work to bring Israel and Hamas to the table and am encouraged that an agreement has been made to release the remaining hostages taken on October 7 and begin a phased IDF withdrawal from Gaza. More work lies ahead, but this is very good news,” Kaine said in his post.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said families were greeting the news of the possible release of their loved ones "with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and concern."

"The Hostages Families Forum welcomes the signing of this agreement, designed to bring all the hostages home — the living for rehabilitation with their families, and the deceased for proper burial in their homeland," the group said in a statement.

It said 48 hostages remain to be returned. Israel has said it believes 20 are still alive.

"The hostage families wish to express their profound gratitude to President Trump and his team for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough: an end to the war and a comprehensive agreement to return all the hostages," the families forum said.

"The Israeli government must convene immediately to approve the agreement. Any delay could exact a heavy toll on the hostages and soldiers," it said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement tonight that the "stakes have never been higher" after the announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a peace deal.

"I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by President Donald J. Trump. I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough," Guterres said.

"The United Nations will support the full implementation of the agreement and will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza," he added.

The statement also urged the parties to commit to "achieving a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with Trump, and he invited Trump to address the Knesset, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

“The two held a very moving and warm conversation, and congratulated each other on the historic achievement of signing the agreement to release all the hostages,” Netanyahu’s office said.

“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for all his efforts and his global leadership, and President Trump congratulated the Prime Minister for his determined leadership and the actions he led,” the statement says.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a note to Trump during a roundtable at the White House this afternoon that indicated a peace deal between Israel and Hamas was "very close."

The note, captured by an Associated Press photographer appears to say, “very close. I need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”

Rubio passed the note while the president was taking questions at a roundtable this afternoon about antifa. Rubio walked over to take the seat of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, to pass the note, which Trump appeared to read before exchanging a nod with Rubio.

Rubio then walked over to whisper something to Trump, and shortly after, the president told reporters at the roundtable that a peace deal was imminent.

"Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly, so I will take a couple of more questions," Trump said.

Trump today posted a video of family members of hostages held by Hamas expressing gratitude after news of an agreement to the first phase of a deal that is said to include the release of hostages.

"Today, President Trump has done it: He announced just now that our loved ones, the hostages, are coming home,” one of them said in the video.

The group stood in front of a sign with photographs that read “2 years in captivity” and “we can bring them home now.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump will meet with “the troops” at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday and then “stop by for his routine yearly check up.”

Trump already underwent what was described as his annual physical examination at the military hospital on April 11. A memo released by White House physician Sean Barbabella two days later said he was in “excellent health” with “robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function.”

Leavitt’s statement said that, after the exam on Friday, Trump will “return to the White House” and is “considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.”

Netanyahu said that his government would gather tomorrow to ratify the peace agreement and "bring all of our precious hostages home."

He expressed his thanks for IDF soldiers and security forces, as well as the U.S. president.

"I thank President Trump and his team from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages."

Hamas said today that Trump and guarantor states should ensure that the terms of the ceasefire are adhered to.

“We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediating brothers in Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. We also value the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, who seeks to bring about a definitive end to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said.

“We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and various Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon,” Hamas said.

Hamas, a terrorist organization, calls Israel an occupation government. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but it conducted massive airstrikes on Gaza and entered the territory in the war it declared against Hamas following the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope tonight that all hostages will be returned after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a peace deal.

“With God’s help we will bring them all home,” Netanyahu said.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social today that the “first phase” of the peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza had been signed.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. 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," the post said. "All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”.

Trump had said earlier that he may travel to the Middle East at the end of the week but did not specifically say he would be going to Egypt, where peace talks are being held.

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