Israel’s cabinet signed off on a hostage release deal in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated Thursday, as President Trump touted the deal in the Middle East to allow the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the war.
“We ended the war in Gaza and really on a much bigger basis created peace, and I think it's going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace,” Trump said Thursday.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Israel’s cabinet and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the cabinet’s decision, in which senior U.S. officials believe a compelling case was made to the cabinet.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Celebrations erupt in Israel and Gaza as historic ceasefire deal is reached
Officials said once the release of hostages occurs, the U.S. will work with the Israelis and U.S. Central Command to set up a joint task force. An official says the U.S. will have 200 people on the ground with a role to oversee and make sure there are no violations, with armed forces from Egypt and Qatar. U.S. troops, another official noted, are not intended to go into Gaza.
The peace deal came together after a flurry of diplomatic activity the past few weeks that culminated in a breakthrough Wednesday, with Trump announcing phase one of the deal on Truth Social after hinting it was imminent earlier in the day.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined an ongoing roundtable that afternoon with President Trump, where he was seen writing a note to the president and whispering in his hear, letting him know they were very close to a deal.
“Perhaps the stories will be told, perhaps they will never be told. The President had some extraordinary phone calls and meetings that required a high degree of intensity and commitment and made this happen. And I think what's important to understand is that yesterday, what happened was really a human story,” Rubio told reporters Thursday.
WATCH | Parents of Israeli killed by Hamas react to peace deal, hostage return
Senior U.S. officials said Trump’s message to negotiators was to get it done, underscoring the importance to him of sending a message that he was standing behind each aspect of his 20-point plan and wanted people to understand “he was going to enforce good conduct here.”
Officials worked through series of meetings to craft and refine their proposal. On the sidelines of the UN general assembly, officials were having meetings with Arab governments, as President Trump held a meeting in New York with Arab and Muslim leaders where he presented the plan, and with Netanyahu at the White House, before Witkoff and Kushner took part in negotiations this past week.
The team detected a breakthrough, according to a senior U.S. official, in that the deal could be split into two phases. Officials noted in particular not only Trump's “indomitable spirit” and a track record of “courageous decisions," but also mistrust between the parties, including following Israel’s strike against Hamas in Doha and a sense that Hamas “had had enough.”
“We felt that Hamas was at that place where they wanted to do a deal, and I would describe it as this, where they were almost looking at the hostages less as an asset and more as a liability,” a senior U.S. official said.
IN RELATED NEWS | Israel marks two years since October 7 attacks as ceasefire talks continue
Senior U.S. officials described the breakthrough as a tense but exciting moment, noting work still to be done.
“There’s still, you know, just a lot of ways that this can go wrong. So we're staying on top of the details to make sure everyone fulfills their obligations and that any misunderstandings are quickly discussed and adjudicated,” a senior U.S. official said.
Israel is expected to withdraw to an agreed upon line, starting a 72 hour period for Hamas to return hostages — both living and dead — that the group has held for more than two years. Trump said he expects the hostages to be released Monday or Tuesday. The first phase also leads to the release of Palestinian prisoners and aid into Gaza, per the Qataris.
The next phase according to officials is determining what comes next in Gaza.
President Trump’s 20 point plan, introduced publicly last month, calls for the decommissioning of Hamas weapons, for Gaza to be governed under a "technocratic apolitical Palestinian committee" — overseen by an international ‘Board of Peace’ chaired by Trump, without a governing role for Hamas and with guarantees from regional partners to ensure Hamas complies with obligations. It also calls for the creation of a temporary International Stabilization Force to deploy in Gaza to help train police and secure borders, which will start building after the hostages are released.
“There's been a lot of work done to put that together, but the ISF will basically be able to hopefully replace the IDF on the yellow line,” an official stated, noting there will then be discussions on decommissioning of military installations in Gaza.
The administration views the deal as a chance for broader peace in the Middle East.
“This is a very delicate time, but I do think there's a real chance the first time, the first time I've seen in the last two years, that you really have a chance to get back to the good momentum that occurred at the end of the President Trump's first administration in the Middle East,” a senior U.S. official said.
Trump reaffirmed Thursday that Gaza’s would not be forced to leave.
