Former hostages celebrate news of initial plan to end Gaza conflict

Former hostages of Hamas have celebrated the announcement that the group and Israel have agreed to an initial plan to pause fighting in Gaza and release at least some remaining hostages and prisoners.

US President Donald Trump revealed the news late on Wednesday, writing in a post on his Truth Social platform: “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.

“All Parties will be treated fairly!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media: “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”

Separately, Hamas said the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops, as well as allow for the entry of aid and exchange of hostages and prisoners.

Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January, posted a video to her Instagram celebrating the news with friends, which included fellow former hostage Romi Gonen.

The group can be seen hugging each other and dancing around a room as they toast “L’chaim”, meaning “to life”.

Eli Sharabi, a freed hostage whose wife and two daughters were killed during Hamas’ attack on October 7 2023, wrote on social media: “Great joy, can’t wait to see everyone home.”

Vicky Cohen, the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, wrote on X: “My child, you are coming home.”

Nimrod’s father, Yehuda Cohen, spoke at the Israeli Embassy in London in March urging Mr Netanyahu to move a ceasefire deal forward.

Early on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu called the deal a “diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel”.

He wrote on X: “From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved.

“Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point.

“I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages.”

Speaking on Fox News in the US on Thursday, Mr Trump said hostages would “probably” start being released on Monday.

“The whole world came together, to be honest. The world has come together around this deal,” Mr Trump said.

“It’s been really an amazing period of time. So great for Israel, so great for Muslims and the Arab countries.

“You’ll see people getting along and Gaza will be rebuilt.”

He continued: “Gaza, we believe is going to be a much safer place and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen.

“I’m very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East.”

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged all parties to obey the terms of the deal as he said the UN would support its “full implementation”.

He wrote on social media: “I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire & hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by @POTUS. I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt & Turkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough.

“I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once & for all. Immediate & unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies & essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end.

“The @UN will support the full implementation of the agreement & will scale up the delivery of sustained & principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery & reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

“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 & security.”

The agreement comes weeks after the UK joined Canada, Australia, France and Portugal in officially recognising Palestinian statehood.

In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the development was a “much needed step towards peace”.

He said: “Australia has consistently been part of international calls for a ceasefire, return of the hostages and the unimpeded flow of aid to Gaza.

“We urge all parties to respect the terms of the plan. We thank President Trump for his diplomatic efforts and acknowledge the important role of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye in delivering this agreement.

“Australia strongly supports the plan’s commitment to denying Hamas any role in the future governance of Gaza.”