Trump says Israel, Hamas signed off on first phase of peace plan

US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of his peace plan to pause the fighting and release the hostages. Trump made the announcement on social media on Wednesday. He said all the hostages would be released very soon and Israel would withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement, saying that Trump is considering a visit to the Middle East soon. The Islamic group Hamas issued a statement on Thursday saying that it agreed to release the hostages in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.