Israel, Hamas agree Trump peace deal, as multinational force begins search for captives in Gaza

Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas formally signed a peace deal brokered by United States President, Mr. Donald Trump, ending two years of confrontation that has resulted in worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said on Thursday that all parties have signed the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and captives release deal, in a major step to end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

President Trump, also Thursday, confirmed the deal on his Truth Social platform, Thursday, calling it a “GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, and the United States.”

Photos from the negotiation room in Sharm el-Sheikh showed leaders from Hamas, Israel, and mediating nations like Qatar and Egypt embracing and shaking hands.

Israel and Hamas accepted President Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, agreeing to a ceasefire and the full release of all hostages.

The historic breakthrough marks a turning point in Middle East diplomacy and signals a new chapter for the region.

The Trump Peace Plan include:

Immediate ceasefire and troop withdrawal;
Full release of 48 hostages;
Amnesty for Hamas members who disarm;
Entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza
Prisoner exchange involving over 1,900 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the agreement, thanking Trump and calling it ‘a sacred mission,’ just Hamas in a statement stated that the deal ends the ‘war of extermination’ and opens the door to rebuilding Gaza.

With Israel’s security cabinet due to meet from 1400 GMT, a ceasefire was to take hold in devastated Gaza “within 24 hours”, government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said.

“The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all the [captives],” she told journalists.

At 1500 GMT, Israel’s full cabinet will meet to approve the deal, under which the military should withdraw from Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

Following the announcement, Israel carried out a series of air strikes on the Gaza Strip, targeting western areas of Gaza City, including a house in the Shati camp and also detonating an armoured vehicle riddled with explosives near homes in the Sabra neighbourhood, south of the city, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

The Gaza Civil Defence also reported Israeli strikes, particularly in northern Gaza, with ten people killed over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Turkey, Thursday, announced it has joined a multinational task force to locate bodies of Israeli captives in Gaza.

Turkey will join Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar in a multinational task force to locate the bodies of Israeli captives believed to have been killed in Gaza

The task force will try to find the remains of Israeli captives seized by Hamas.

Turkey will take part in a multinational task force alongside Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to locate the bodies of Israeli captives, Turkish and Israeli officials confirmed on Thursday.

The decision was reached during the mediated negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, which led to the ceasefire and prisoner-exchange agreement announced overnight by US President Trump.

The joint initiative will focus on recovering the remains of captives whose locations are still unknown after more than two years of conflict.

A senior Turkish official told reporters the task force would “provide logistical and technical assistance, including heavy equipment for excavation and demolition if necessary”, to ensure that “as many remains as possible are recovered alongside the living hostages within 72 hours”.

Under the terms of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, all living and dead hostages are to be returned to Israel within 72 hours of the ceasefire taking effect.

However, negotiators acknowledged that Hamas had informed mediators that it does not know the location of some of the hostages, and the process could take longer.

According to Israeli officials, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, including the at least 26 confirmed dead. About 20 are believed to be alive, with two others unaccounted for.

Israeli government coordinator for hostage affairs Gal Hirsch said the joint task force was formed “to overcome expected difficulties and to ensure the full return of both the living and the dead”.

“We acted to set up an international task force that will have everything needed, including information and resources, to return the hostages to Israel,” Hirsch told Haaretz.

Israeli officials told CNN that Hamas may not be able to locate up to 10–15 bodies, based on intelligence shared during the talks.

“The assessments are ongoing,” one official said, adding that Israeli forces expect the recovery process to continue after the 72-hour window.

During previous truces, Hamas released most of the 254 Israeli captives it seized on October 7, 2023. Israel has freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners over the course of these exchanges.

The Israel and Hamas conflict
Israel and Hamas has ked to the death of at least 67,194 Palestinians, including commanders of the resistance groups.

Israel and Hamas accepted President Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, agreeing to a ceasefire and the full release of all hostages.

The historic breakthrough marks a turning point in Middle East diplomacy and signals a new chapter for the region.

The Trump Peace Plan has brought an end to the two-year war in Gaza. Hamas officially agreed to the terms laid out by President Donald Trump, which include a full ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the release of all remaining hostages, both living and deceased.