In a dramatic turn for Middle East diplomacy, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a sweeping peace deal brokered by the Trump administration, ushering in a ceasefire and a complex prisoner exchange that many hope will end years of bloodshed in Gaza. The agreement, announced on October 10, 2025, comes after intense negotiations and personal guarantees by President Trump, who vowed that Israel would not break the ceasefire as part of the deal’s conditions, according to Axios.
The first phase of the agreement, described by Northeastern University’s Simon Rabinovitch as sparking “a lot of optimism” and a “powerful sense of relief,” is already underway. Under this initial stage, Hamas will release 20 surviving Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and return the remains of 28 more. These hostages were among the 251 abducted by Hamas during the devastating October 7, 2023 attacks, which left approximately 1,200 people dead. In exchange, Israel is set to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and return the bodies of 360 Palestinians, with the exchange scheduled to unfold over the next 72 hours from the deal’s signing.
The agreement doesn’t stop at a ceasefire and prisoner swap. It lays out a 20-point plan—ambitious, if somewhat vague in parts—that includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a call for Hamas to lay down its weapons. The plan envisions postwar Gaza governed by a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, with an international stabilization force stepping in to help secure the battered territory.
One of the most striking elements of the deal is the role played by President Trump. According to U.S. officials cited by Axios, Trump’s personal guarantee not to let Israel break the ceasefire was pivotal in convincing Hamas to accept the terms. The U.S. has committed to leading a military task force to monitor the ceasefire, with about 200 American soldiers and officers joined by personnel from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Notably, these monitors will not set foot on the ground in Gaza, but will play a key role in overseeing compliance and addressing any violations.
Behind the scenes, Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were instrumental. Before departing for Egypt, Trump reportedly asked Kushner about the odds of success. “100%,” Kushner replied, explaining, “Because we can’t afford to fail.” After arriving in the region, Kushner and Witkoff met with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, delivering Trump’s assurances and emphasizing the president’s commitment to seeing the deal through. “There was a great deal of mistrust between the sides and the president wanted to make it clear that this deal was very important to him, that he wanted it to happen, that he wants to end the carnage and wanted to make sure everyone understood he would enforce good conduct,” a U.S. official told Axios.
The Israeli military, for its part, has already begun repositioning its forces along boundaries stipulated by the agreement, a move confirmed by the U.S. military. The withdrawal to a new perimeter inside Gaza was required to take place within 24 hours of the cabinet’s approval. Once the Israeli pullback is complete, the clock starts ticking for Hamas to release the remaining hostages, with a deadline set for Monday, October 13, 2025.
Looking ahead, the plan calls for the deployment of an international stabilization force made up of troops from Arab and Muslim countries to areas vacated by the Israel Defense Forces. This process is expected to take several months, after which efforts will begin to dismantle Gaza’s military installations and heavy weapons. According to U.S. officials, Witkoff and Kushner will remain in the region to oversee the implementation, joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli military officials to discuss the monitoring mechanism and stabilization force. President Trump himself is expected to arrive early next week to oversee the process personally.
Despite the optimism, the deal is not without its critics and complications. Zinaida Miller, a professor of law and international affairs at Northeastern University, pointed out significant gaps in the agreement. “There isn’t a long-term vision for Palestinian society, and I think that’s important to highlight,” she said. “And as the Palestinians weren’t involved in the negotiations, it is shocking to think about this as a peace plan.” Miller’s concerns echo those of many observers who note the plan’s ambiguity on the future of Palestinian self-determination and governance.
Indeed, while the deal is broadly popular among the Israeli public, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s standing remains fraught. Rabinovitch observed that “Benjamin Netanyahu is not” popular, even as the deal itself finds favor. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners have so far agreed to remain in government, but their continued support is uncertain. With Israeli elections expected in October 2026, the current government has a clear incentive to delay the vote and present the past two years of war as an achievement to voters.
Trump’s personal involvement, say U.S. officials, was not just a matter of high-level diplomacy but also of hard-nosed leverage. “At the point he wanted the conflict to end he forced that outcome because the Israeli prime minister understands how reliant the country is on the United States and that Trump has fewer apprehensions about breaking longstanding relationships or agreements than other presidents,” Rabinovitch explained. Trump also managed to bring other regional players—Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar—on board, pressuring Hamas to accept the terms.
The deal’s architects hope its momentum will extend beyond Gaza. U.S. officials expressed hopes of using the agreement to expand the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states. Whether that will materialize remains to be seen, but for now, the focus is squarely on the delicate implementation of the Gaza peace plan.
With so much at stake and so many moving parts, the world will be watching closely as the next 72 hours unfold. For now, the hope is that this painstakingly brokered ceasefire will hold, hostages will return home, and a battered region can begin to heal—however slowly and imperfectly that process may proceed.