Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered peace plan, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Oct. 8.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting peace,” he said.
Trump added that “all parties will be treated fairly,” and thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey “who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.”
The announcement comes as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have largely stalled. Over the summer, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, welcoming him to the United States to discuss a potential peace settlement and broader cooperation — their first meeting since Trump returned to office.
After the Alaska summit, Trump pledged to continue discussions with both Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky, and to arrange direct talks between the two leaders. No agreement was reached.
The summit, initially expected to include sessions on bilateral cooperation, ended abruptly after those segments were canceled. Two months later, no tangible progress has been made toward peace.
Meanwhile, Russia has once again intensified assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including launching a large-scale attack on Oct. 3 that targeted the country’s oil and gas facilities.
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