Washington, Oct 9: US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of a Gaza 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," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday (local time).

He thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for the "historic and unprecedented event."

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day at the White House, Trump said he may travel to the Middle East "sometime toward the end of the week."

Israel and Hamas began indirect negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

Meanwhile, the mediators in the Israel-Hamas talks said that an agreement covering all provisions and implementation mechanisms related to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal has been reached, and a final draft of the agreement is underway, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV reported on Thursday.

The deal will lead to an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave, "with further details to be announced later," said the report.

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The announcement came following three days of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt's resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to negotiate a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Wednesday, the talks involved delegations from the United States, Qatar and Turkey, besides those of Hamas and Israel.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh were "progressing positively."

Since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, Israeli airstrikes have devastated the Gaza Strip, causing widespread famine and displacement, and killing at least 67,183 people and injuring 169,841 others, according to Gaza's health authorities.

(IANS)

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