Jerusalem, 9 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Following the **announcement** that Israel and Hamas finalized a deal to end the war in Gaza **and** return the hostages home, numerous steps remain in implementing the phased agreement.
Israel’s political-security cabinet and government are set to meet Thursday to finalize approval of the first phase of the agreement.
The cabinet is scheduled to convene at 3:00 p.m., followed by a government meeting an hour later. The approval will authorize the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of what officials describe as “the first phase of the plan.” Other elements of the broader agreement will not be voted on Thursday, since the cabinet has already endorsed what officials call the “five principles” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace framework, which outlines steps for ending the Gaza war.
Once the government vote passes, Israel will be required to withdraw its forces within 24 hours to a designated line agreed upon with Hamas. **The** redeployment is expected to leave the Israel Defense Forces in control of roughly 53 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Following cabinet approval, a 72-hour countdown will begin. By the end of that window, Hamas must release all hostages “in one fell swoop and without public ceremonies,” according to the terms of the agreement. Israeli officials estimate that 20 hostages in Gaza are alive, while another 28 are believed dead. Hamas has reportedly claimed uncertainty about the whereabouts of nine of the deceased.
The hostages’ release could take place as early as Saturday, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Israel. However**,** Trump suggested a different timeline, telling reporters, “everyone will return on Monday.” Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday and may deliver an address to the Knesset in Jerusalem following an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The agreement also calls for the release of large numbers of Palestinian detainees. Under the current terms, around 1,700 Gaza residents arrested after October 7 will be freed, along with roughly 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, in exchange for the 20 surviving hostages. The releases are to occur within 72 hours of the agreement taking effect.
Israeli officials have indicated that the deal does not include members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force who took part in the October 7, 2023 massacre, nor the most prominent commanders described as “symbols of terrorist organizations,” such as Marwan Barghouti.
The final list of those to be released has not yet been made public.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7, 2023.
