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The United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a declaration on Monday as the guarantors of a Gaza deal aimed at ending two years of war."The document is going to spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things," Trump said before signing, repeating twice that "it's going to hold up".

Israeli forces redeployedHostages to be released by Monday noonQuestions remain about Trump's planTrump expected to travel to Israel, EgyptThousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza on Saturday, trekking by foot, car and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.Israeli troops pulled back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement reached this week to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.**media[367309]**"It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God," said Nabila Basal as she travelled by foot with her daughter, who she said had suffered a head wound in the war. "We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended."US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was in Gaza early Saturday to observe the Israeli military redeployment, Israeli Army Radio reported, citing a security source.**media[367311]**He was joined by the head of the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, who said in a statement that his visit was part of the establishment of a task force that would support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, though US troops would not be deployed inside the enclave.Once the Israeli forces had completed their redeployment on Friday, which keeps them out of major urban areas but still in control of roughly half the enclave, the clock began ticking for Hamas to release its hostages within 72 hours."We are very excited, waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages," said Hagai Angrest, whose son Matan is among the 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive. "We are waiting for the phone call."**media[367310]**Twenty-six hostages have been declared dead in absentia and the fate of two more is unknown.According to the agreement, after the hostages are handed over, Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving long sentences in its prisons and 1,700 detainees captured during the war.Hundreds of trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food and medical aid, according to the agreement.**media[367307]**But questions remain about whether the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the biggest step yet towards ending two years of war, will lead to a lasting peace under Trump's 20-point plan.Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump's plan have yet to be agreed.These include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel's demands it disarm.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump expressed confidence the ceasefire would hold, saying: "They're all tired of the fighting." He said he believed there was a "consensus" on the next steps but acknowledged some details still have to be worked out.**media[367306]**Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced to end a war in which more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, and to return the last hostages seized by Hamas.Trump is expected to visit the region on Monday and address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, the first US president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008.Trump said he would also travel to Egypt and that other world leaders were expected to be present.

Mixed emotions as Gazans cheer US-brokered truce deal but face wreckage of pre-war lives'Okay, it is over - then what? There is no home I can go back to,' says displaced mother of five'We are happy just to return to where our homes were. That, too, is a great joy,' says displaced Gaza manAs thousands of Gazans began picking through the ruins of their shattered homes on Friday after a ceasefire deal, the excitement of return was quickly tempered by shock at the depth of the destruction and anxiety over the hardships ahead.The announcement that the US-brokered accord had gone into effect sent thousands of Palestinians pouring up the Gaza Strip's coastal road by foot, bicycle, truck and donkey cart toward the largely devastated north.Essentially all of Gaza's 2.2 million population was displaced during two years of unrelenting war that has killed tens of thousands of people and reduced huge swathes of the enclave to ruins.For some, the prospect of returning even to the remnants of their former houses was enough to inspire elation."Of course, there are no homes - they've been destroyed - but we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble," Mahdi Saqla, 40, said as he stood by a makeshift tent in central Gaza. "That, too, is a great joy."Trudging along the road along with her family, former Gaza City resident Mahira al-Ashi said she was so excited to return to the city where she'd grown up that she couldn't sleep as she waited for news about when they could start moving."By God, when they opened the road, I was so happy to go back," she said.But for many of those who have already returned, the stark reality of the situation quickly sank in.To the south, in the city of Khan Younis, Ahmed al-Brim pushed a bicycle loaded with wood through a scene of apocalyptic destruction - row after row of buildings crumpled by bombardment and streets strewn with rubble."We went to our area - it was exterminated," he said, waving a hand through the air. "We don't know where we will go after that."Another Khan Younis resident, Muhannad al-Shawaf, said it used to take him three minutes to reach a nearby street from his house. Now, took over an hour as he picked his way through piles of debris."The destruction is huge and indescribable - indescribable," he said. "It is almost all in ruins and not suitable for living in."Despite the widespread celebrations that greeted news of the ceasefire, many Palestinians were keenly aware even before going back that little remained of the lives they knew before the war."Okay, it is over - then what? There is no home I can go back to," Balqees, a mother of five from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, told Reuters on Friday morning."They have destroyed everything. Tens of thousands of people are dead, the Gaza Strip is in ruins, and they made a ceasefire. Am I supposed to be happy? No, I am not."Her sentiments were echoed by Mustafa Ibrahim, an activist and human rights advocate from Gaza City who also took refuge in Deir al-Balah, one of the few areas in the enclave not overrun and levelled by Israeli forces."Laughter has vanished and tears have run dry," he said. "The people of Gaza are lost, as if they are the walking dead, searching for a distant future."Some former Gaza City residents had already started heading back even before the ceasefire went into effect, some making it as far as the northwest suburb of Sheikh Radwan.Among them was Ismail Zayda, a 40-year-old father of three, who went to check on his house on Friday morning and was amazed to find it still intact - albeit amid a "sea of rubble"."Thank God, my house is still standing," he told Reuters in a voice note. "But the area is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed - entire districts are gone."

Kuwait on Thursday welcomed the agreement reached to implement the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which includes a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the launch of serious negotiations aimed at ending the war and alleviating the worsening humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in the Strip. In a statement, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Kuwait’s full support for all international efforts and initiatives aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and delivering humanitarian aid immediately, safely, and sustainably, as a step toward establishing security and stability in the region. The ministry also reiterated its appreciation for the positive role played by Qatar, Egypt, the United States, and Turkiye in making the agreement a success. The ministry reaffirmed Kuwait’s firm and longstanding support for the rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the establishment of an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the New York Statement on the two-state solution. The ministry stressed that achieving a just and comprehensive peace is the only path to ensuring lasting security and stability in the region.

The Arab League welcomed the mediators' announcement of an agreement on implementing the first phase of the peace plan for the Gaza Strip and expressed appreciation for the efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States in this regard. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a post on X that this was good news for the people in Gaza after witnessing two years of bloodshed and destruction. He expressed hope that the mediators' efforts will be crowned with success to complete and implement what has been agreed upon, whether it is the exchange deal or the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces. The Secretary-General expressed hope that mediators will continue their diligent efforts to ensure the agreement holds and is strengthened for the benefit of the Palestinian people. He thanked Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and the US for their commendable efforts. US President Donald Trump announced earlier today that Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had signed the first phase of the peace plan and expressed his gratitude to the mediators from the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Turkiye.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed on Thursday the agreement on the first phase of the peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump.Modi expressed hope that the release of the hostages and increased humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza would bring much-needed relief, paving the way for lasting peace in the region.US President Donald Trump announced earlier today that Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had signed the first phase of the peace plan. He expressed his thanks to the mediators from the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Turkiye.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the signing of the first phase of the peace plan by Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), praising at the same time the efforts of the mediators. In a statement on social media platform X, Guterres said, "I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by [US President Donald Trump]. I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt & Turkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough." He urged all parties to "seize this momentous opportunity" and "abide fully by the terms of the agreement." He stressed the need to ensure immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies and essential commercial goods into Gaza. Guterres concluded his statement by saying, "I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, leading to a two-state solution to enable Israelis & Palestinians to live in peace and security."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that negotiations to stop the war in Gaza had made "a lot of headway" and that a ceasefire would be declared if they reached a positive outcome.Fidan said the talks in Egypt, in which Ankara is taking part, are focused on securing a ceasefire, exchanging hostages and prisoners, allowing more aid and coordinating a timetable for a withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Trump: may travel to Middle East this weekend if deal reachedTurkish foreign minister sees 'a lot of headway' at talksMechanism of Israeli withdrawal is sticking point, sources sayUS President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a deal to end the war in Gaza was "very close" and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, as his envoys joined talks in Egypt to try to seal a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.With Trump's 20-point plan appearing closer than any previous bid to halt the two-year-old conflict, delegations upgraded their presence at the indirect talks, launched on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.Trump offered an upbeat assessment, saying a deal was almost done and that he may travel to the Middle East this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday, if an agreement is reached. He later clarified that he likely would go to Egypt and the trip would probably be before or just after hostages are released."I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly," Trump said during an unrelated White House event.The hand-scrawled note on White House stationery read, "You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first," the Associated Press later reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.It marked the most promising effort yet to end the war in Gaza, which had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, and reshaping the Middle East.Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel that triggered Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, the group's negotiators handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed in a swap with Israel.Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived and began participation in the negotiations, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.Also joining the discussions was the prime minister of longstanding mediator Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, according to Egyptian sources.Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.In parallel with the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, Arab and other states will meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss Gaza's post-war transition, with Washington likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.Hamas said on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of the hostages it held and the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that it wanted to be exchanged, and was optimistic about the talks so far.The list of Palestinians Hamas wants freed is expected to include some of the most prominent prisoners ever jailed by Israel, whose release had been off limits in previous ceasefires.According to a Palestinian source close to the talks, the list includes Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Both are serving multiple life sentences for involvement in attacks that killed Israelis.Hamas says the indirect negotiations were focused so far on three issues: halting the conflict, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal.The group has so far refused to discuss Israel's demand that Hamas give up its arms, which the Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.Two sources familiar with the talks confirmed that sticking points included the mechanism for the Israeli withdrawal, with Hamas seeking a clear timeline linked to the release of hostages and guarantees of a complete withdrawal by Israeli forces.Within Gaza, Israel has dialled down its military campaign at Trump's behest, but it has not halted strikes altogether.Gaza medical authorities reported eight people killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, the lowest toll for weeks. Daily death tolls had been around 10 times as high over the past month as Israeli forces advance on Gaza City."We hope from God that a ceasefire would take place as soon as possible, because people can't bear the suffering anymore," said Jehad al-Shagnobi, whose house was destroyed in the Sabra district of Gaza City.Another participant in the talks was Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, Egyptian sources said. This pointed to a growing role for Turkey, a NATO member with close contacts with Hamas. President Tayyip Erdogan said Trump had asked Turkey to help persuade Hamas to accept the deal.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that the negotiations had made "a lot of headway."Trump's plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza's post-war administration. Arab countries which back the plan say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.There is no clear indication who will rule Gaza when the war ends. Netanyahu, Trump, Western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has run Gaza since driving out Palestinian rivals in 2007.Hamas has said it would relinquish Gaza governance only to a Palestinian technocrat government supervised by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries. It rejects any role for Blair or foreign rule of Gaza.Global outrage has mounted against Israel's assault. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.

HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will join the Gaza negotiations on President Trump’s proposal in Egypt on Wednesday.HE Sheikh Mohammed is traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with other mediators – including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement”, said Dr Majid Mohamed al-Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Official Spokesperson.HE Sheikh Mohammed’s “participation confirms the mediators’ determination to reach an agreement that ends the war,” Dr. al-Ansari told Al Jazeera.A Turkish delegation led by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in negotiations in Egypt Wednesday aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war, AFP quoted the state-run Anadolu news agency reporting from Istanbul.

Qatar is committed to achieve peace and end the war in Gaza, especially with no let-up in the daily Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, HE Dr Majid Mohamed al-Ansari, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said.The ongoing indirect negotiations between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel in Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt went on for four hours on Monday and continued Tuesday, he said.Highlighting the complexity of the talks, he said US President Donald Trump's peace plan has 20 points, each of which requires detailed consideration.During his weekly briefing, Dr al-Ansari said Qatar is committed to implementing the plan, and deliver the necessary aid immediately to the people in Gaza."But, we want a clear cut plan to guarantee the effective implementation of Trump's peace plan to avoid giving Israel any excuse to renew their attacks. Negotiations are currently focused on identifying the key obstacles hindering the implementation of President Trump's plan."Dr al-Ansari said Qatar, US and Egypt have been leading the mediation for two years now.He noted that all delegations are presently in Sharm El Sheikh, including the Qatari negotiating team.He also pointed out that Egypt is set to organise an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza after the end of war, and Qatar strongly supports this.Regarding the future of Hamas in Gaza, he said it is still too early to talk about this. "Qatar believes that the future of the Palestinian people have to be in the hands of Palestinian people themselves. It is a Palestinian issue and it concerns them above all. Since day one of the negotiations, we have said that there is a need to unite the Palestinian people."He said the Hamas political office in Doha is needed for the negotiations.Regarding the handover of the Israeli hostages, he reiterated: "I stress that the US has been clear in linking the end of war with the handover of the hostages to Israel."Reuters adds: On the second day of talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, top Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV the group had come "to engage in serious and responsible negotiations."He said Hamas was ready to reach a deal, yet it needed a "guarantee" to end the war and ensure "it is not repeated".Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said a deal must ensure an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.Dr. Al Ansari said Qatar is currently engaged in more than 10 mediation efforts.Regarding the first Russia-Arab summit on October 15 in Moscow, he noted that the relations between the Arab world, Qatar and Russia are very important.He added that "there is an ongoing war in Ukraine and we are committed to achieve peace and help children in both countries to reunite with their families".

Delegations from Israel and Hamas began indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday that the US hopes will bring a halt to the war in Gaza, facing contentious issues such as demands that Israel pull out of the enclave and Hamas to disarm.Israel and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas have both endorsed the overall principles behind President Donald Trump's plan, under which fighting would cease, hostages go free and aid pour into Gaza, the closest they have come to an end to fighting.The plan also has the backing of Arab and Western states. Trump has called for negotiations to take place swiftly towards a final deal, in what Washington hails as the closest the sides have yet come to ending the fighting.Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a transitional authority headed by Trump himself."I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," Trump said in a social media post.But both sides are seeking clarifications of crucial details, including over issues that have wrecked all previous attempts to end the war and could defy any quick resolution.Trump has told Israel to suspend its bombing of Gaza for the talks. Gaza residents said Israel had scaled back its offensive substantially, although it had not halted it altogether.Egyptian state TV reported that the talks had begun at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.Egyptian sources said Hamas was seeking clarification of several details, including guarantees that Israel would follow through with promises to withdraw its troops from Gaza once the militants give up their leverage by freeing their hostages.Inside Israel there is clamour for an end to the war to bring home hostages, although right-wing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet oppose any halt to fighting.Though Trump says he wants a deal quickly, an official briefed on the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he expected the round of talks would require at least a few days.An official involved in ceasefire planning and a Palestinian source said Trump's deadline to send all hostages back within 72 hours could be impossible to meet in the case of bodies of dead hostages, some of which would need to be located and recovered from burial sites scattered across the battlefield.A Palestinian official close to the talks was sceptical about prospects of a breakthrough given deep mutual mistrust, saying Hamas and other Palestinian factions were worried that Israel might ditch negotiations once it recovered the hostages.The Israeli delegation includes officials from spy agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk and hostages coordinator Gal Hirsch. Israel's chief negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, was expected to join later this week, pending developments in the negotiations, according to three Israeli officials.Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are also expected in Egypt.The Hamas delegation is led by the group's exiled Gaza leader, Khalil al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli airstrike that killed his son in Doha, the Qatari capital, a month ago.Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egypt's state intelligence, said "Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to establish a mechanism" for the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators will speak through mediators shuttling back and forth.According to the Palestinian source, the initial hostage-prisoner exchange will "require several days, depending on field conditions related to Israeli withdrawals, the cessation of bombardment and the suspension of all types of air operations".Negotiations will look to "determine the date of a temporary truce", a Hamas official said, as well as create conditions for a first phase of the plan, in which 47 hostages held in Gaza are to be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has coordinated previous exchanges, said its teams were standing at the ready "to help bring hostages and detainees back to their families".On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised Trump's plan saying it offered "the right path to lasting peace and stability".