Hamas and Israel agree on first step of ceasefire plan

Hamas and Israel have agreed to the first step of the ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. It was reported by CNN on Thursday, October 9.

The publication writes that the ceasefire should be a major breakthrough, but fighting is still ongoing on the ground. Many details of the agreement remain unresolved, which will require additional rounds of negotiations. In addition, the US president is planning a trip to Israel.

"The Israeli military it had instructed its soldiers to “be ready for any scenario” and warned Palestinians not to return north or approach areas where forces are stationed," the report said.

Hamas and Israel agreed on the following steps in the first phase of the plan:

• Ceasefire: will include the release of all hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza to an agreed line, and the release of some Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
• Trump announced the creation of a "peace council" to support a lasting end to the conflict in the region.
• Release of hostages and prisoners: Hamas and Israel exchanged a list of hostages and prisoners to be released, most likely on Monday.

So far, the parties have not agreed on the key issues of Hamas disarmament and the future governance of Gaza. However, today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is gathering the government to ratify the agreement. In the coming days, Trump is going to visit Egypt and Israel, as Netanyahu invited him to deliver a speech in the Israeli parliament. According to the US president, countries in the Middle East will help rebuild Gaza.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on March 1, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a limited ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

On August 5, more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress signed a letter calling on the administration of US President Donald Trump to recognize Palestinian statehood.

On October 4, Israel's political leadership ordered the military to stop the offensive campaign to capture Gaza City and move to purely defensive actions after US President Donald Trump called for an end to the strikes.