Cairo. Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire deal in Gaza, bringing an end to more than two years of war.

The deal paves the way for the release of the remaining remaining Israeli hostages within days. It is seen as a decisive step toward an end to a war that has killed thousands and caused a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The agreement is expected to be signed on Thursday. The deal calls on Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. The deal marks the latest step towards the end of the war that began after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023.

“Hamas will release all hostages and the Israeli military will return to the agreed line,” US President Donald Trump said after his 20-point peace plan in Egypt. ’

According to a senior Hamas insider, the group will release 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the deal. The exchange will be completed within 72 hours of the implementation of this agreement.

Trump has said that Washington will play an active role in the reconstruction of Gaza and peacekeeping. According to him, this ceasefire is not just the end of the war, but the beginning of lasting peace.

“For two years we lived in constant fear of bombs, terror, destruction and death,” said Samir Judeh, a displaced Gaza citizen. Today, when I heard this news, I could not stop my tears. Now we feel that we finally have a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. ’

Qatar has welcomed the deal as “the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire”. “The agreement marks the end of the war, the release of hostages and prisoners, and the beginning of the entry into humanitarian aid,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ’

According to Hamas sources, 250 people have been sentenced to life in prison and another 1,700 Palestinian prisoners will be released. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “By the grace of God, we will bring our citizens home.” According to him, a meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held on Thursday itself to ratify the agreement.

Trump said the deal was “very close” a few days ago and hinted that he would travel to the Middle East as soon as this week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Trump on the progress of the Egypt talks at the White House on Wednesday.

“I’m planning to go to Egypt on Sunday and have a first-hand look at the situation in Gaza,” Trump said. The Trump peace plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Hamas has handed over to Israel a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire. In return, Hamas said it was preparing to free the remaining 47 hostages — both living and dead. All the hostages were taken during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

According to Hamas, representatives of Islamic Jihad and the Palestine Liberation Popular Front will also participate in this agreement. According to official Israeli figures, 1,219 people were killed in the Hamas attack, most of them civilians. 251 people were taken hostage in Gaza, of which 47 remain. According to the Israeli army, 25 of them have been killed.

At least 67,183 people have been killed in Israeli military strikes, according to Gaza’s health ministry run by Hamas. The United Nations has considered this figure credible. More than half of the dead were women and children.

Gaza continued to be bombarded even before the ceasefire agreement was signed. The Hamas-controlled civil defense agency said explosions rang out hours before the deal was announced.

Global pressure has intensified calls for an end to the war. Most of Gaza has been destroyed. The United Nations has issued a famine warning, and Israeli hostage families are still praying for the return of their loved ones.

One of the key points of the talks was the list of Palestinian prisoners demanded by Hamas, including Marwan Barghouti, a senior leader of the Fatah movement. “We want guarantees of lasting peace from President Trump and the participating countries,” Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya told AFP. This war must end once and for all. ’