Hamas and Israel have agreed to the “first phase” of Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including the release of all hostages – but what exactly does his 20-point vision include?
Here are some of the key clauses in the peace plan, what Sky News correspondents make of them and what is expected to happen next.
What has been agreed to so far?
The two sides have agreed to the first phase, meaning all 20 living Israeli hostages are set to be released.
The remains of another 28 people kidnapped on 7 October 2023 are also still believed to be in Hamas’s possession. Hamas officials have previously said it will take some time to recover the bodies of the deceased hostages from Gaza’s rubble.
President Trump said on Truth Social that “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line”.
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As part of the agreement, Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life, along with 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7, including all women and children.
The draft agreement also stated: “For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.”
What is expected next?
The White House said it was down to the Israeli security cabinet to formally sign off the deal on Thursday, which will bring a ceasefire into force and allow for an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The plan states that within 72 hours of the agreement being accepted, “all hostages, alive and deceased will be returned”.
An exchange involving the living Israeli hostages could take place as soon as this weekend, while the hostages killed will be sent back in stages.
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Mr Trump has said he may travel to the Middle East, and perhaps even Gaza, as soon as this weekend, while Israeli media is reporting that his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and former advisor Jared Kushner are expected in Israel tonight.
The pair have been representing the US in the Egypt talks.
What is the longer-term plan?
The first two points of the peace plan say Gaza will become “a deradicalised terror-free zone” and “redeveloped for the benefit of” the enclave’s people – but the role they’ll have is unclear, said US correspondent Mark Stone.
“Beyond Hamas, there is no defined role for the Palestinians beyond vague assurances that they can take over once reform has taken place,” he explained.
What’s clear is that Hamas would have to agree to full disarmament and complete removal from the administration of Gaza – something Stone said would “amount to suicide for their movement”.
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Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said Hamas “must surely have been given strong assurances that, even at some level, its demands for Palestinian self-determination would bear fruit”.
“Otherwise, why would the group have given up their one trump card – the 48 hostages,” he added. “Once they have gone, Hamas has no leverage at all.”
It’s unclear from Mr Trump’s statement on Wednesday on the sides’ agreement how much progress has been made on Hamas’s potential disarmament.
The group has repeatedly refused this prospect in the past, but Israel insists it must happen.
What are the other key points?
Some of the other significant guarantees include a promise that nobody will be forced to leave the Gaza Strip, and that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.
The document also states that full aid will “proceed without interference […] through the UN, its agencies, the Red Crescent and other international institutions”.
Tony Blair to be on the ‘Board of Peace’
The plan states that a temporary governing board will be put in charge of Gaza – and just one person has so far been confirmed to join Donald Trump on what he’s calling the ‘Board of Peace’: Sir Tony Blair.
Chief political correspondent Jon Craig said the appointment was “controversial but not a surprise”.
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“Sir Tony Blair has been one of the key architects of this peace plan,” he said. “It’s a Blair blueprint to a large extent, he went to the White House to discuss it in August.”
Sir Tony “gets on well” with Mr Netanyahu, he added. The former British prime minister’s experience in the Middle East goes back nearly 30 years and in the 1990s he was involved in talks with then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
“From President Trump’s point of view, and indeed Benjamin Netanyahu’s, it makes sense because [Blair] is an experienced negotiator and go-between power broker in the Middle East,” Craig said.
‘Still huge unknowns’
International correspondent Alex Rossi said there are two critical points in the process.
“The first bit is about achieving a ceasefire and bringing back the hostages, the second is about achieving a comprehensive peace in the wider region and the distant prospect of Palestinian statehood.
“It goes without saying that ushering in a ceasefire, while not easy, is far more achievable than resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict completely.”
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But Rossi also said there were still “huge unknowns”.
Adam Parsons said: “Does it cover everything? Absolutely not. We don’t know who will run Gaza in the future, for a start, which is a pretty yawning hole when you consider that Gaza’s fresh start is imminent.
“We don’t know what will happen to Hamas, or to its weapons, or really how Israel will withdraw from the Strip.
“But these talks have always been fuelled by optimism, and by the sense that if you could stop the fighting and get the hostages home, then everything else might just fall into place.”
