On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump shared an announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a peace plan deal to the social media site Truth Social. The decision was apparently made near the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” the president posted. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reshared Trump’s announcement along with a short comment thanking the president: “Blessed are the peacemakers!”
Independent news site Drop Site confirmed with sources close to the Palestinian negotiating team, including a Hamas official, that an agreement had been made. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also posted a statement on Wednesday calling the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”
Alabama’s senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both posted statements praising President Trump soon after the deal was announced.
Tuberville wrote that Trump “deserves the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.” Britt similarly called Trump “the President of Peace,” saying the deal was “an incredible first step to end this conflict.” In recent months, Trump has repeatedly argued he deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and claimed at points that he ought to be credited with ending seven “unendable wars.”
Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, also made a post celebrating the deal and thanking the president for his role in the negotiations.
“This is great news and I pray it comes to fruition and there can be peace after two years of war,” Aderholt wrote. “Thank you to President Trump for making ending wars around the world a priority in your Administration.”
The Financial Times reported Wednesday night that sources close to the negotiations say Israeli hostages held in Gaza are expected to be released “about 72 hours after the Israeli government approves the deal.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will also release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, allow additional aid into the occupied territory, and begin the process of withdrawing its troops.
Over the last two years, the country has faced intense criticism over its conduct in the conflict, especially the limits it has maintained over the food and medical aid allowed to flow into the Gaza Strip.
In September, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that the state of Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu and former Israeli minister of defense Yoav Gallant both have outstanding warrants for their arrest issued by the International Criminal Court.
In the two years since the conflict began when Hamas forces killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Leaked Israeli military intelligence suggests a supermajority of those killed in Gaza were civilians, and independent experts have argued that the Health Ministry numbers are likely a significant undercount.
The deal announced Wednesday will be the third ceasefire deal over the two years of the war so far. Both previous ceasefires also saw hostages taken by Hamas exchanged for Palestinian prisoners but broke down shortly thereafter.
