The Israeli government approves the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan and the release of the hostages. But Hamas refuses to disarm and the truce remains hanging by a thread.
The Israeli government approved on Friday night the negotiating framework for the release of all hostages, living and deceased. The announcement, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, marks a crucial step in the conflict with Hamas and paves the way for the first phase of peace plan promoted by Donald Trump. Five far-right ministers – Bezalel Smotrich, Orit Strock, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yitzhak Wasserlauf And Amichai Eliyahu – voted against the agreement, while Ophir Sopher of the Religious Zionist Party expressed its support, avoiding a fracture in the coalition. Immediately after approval, a ceasefire in Gaza came into force, the first concrete sign of the new diplomatic course. In an unusual gesture, the American envoys Steve Witkoff And Jared Kushner participated in the government meeting for about half an hour, underlining the direct involvement of the White House. Both had arrived in Israel from Sharm el Sheikhwhere they took part in talks with Israeli and Egyptian delegations. In his speech, Benjamin Netanyahu he defined the decision as “an epochal development, the fruit of two years of battles and diplomacy”. The prime minister expressed his thanks publicly Trump, Witkoff And Kushner for “the extraordinary commitment that made this result possible”, specifying that “the main objective of the war has always been to return all the hostages, living and dead”. Second Netanyahu«the combination of military pressure, the courage of soldiers and international diplomatic pressure has isolated Hamas and brought Israel to this turning point.”
Thanks to Trump and the negotiators
The prime minister wanted to underline the role of the American emissaries: «You worked with brain and heart for the good of Israel and the United States. The families of the hostages will be forever grateful to you.” Jared Kushner he recalled that «bringing the hostages home was a priority of the president Trump from the beginning”, adding that “the courage of the IDF and the determination shown against Hezbollah and in Iran they created the conditions for this peace.” The president’s son-in-law then praised “the Israeli people, an army of citizens who sacrificed everything to defend the country.” Steve Witkoff instead he underlined the difficulty of the choices Netanyahu: «His job was to protect Israel and decide when to be tough and when to be flexible. Without his determination we would not have reached this point.”
Operation «Return to their border»
Before the meeting, the Office of Prime Minister had announced that the hostage liberation mission will be called «Shavim L’gvulam» – «Return to their border» – a reference to the book by Jeremiah which evokes the return of the Jewish people from exile. The plan, linked to the peace strategy of Trumpenvisages a gradual withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces towards a line established with Hamas. Israel has committed to completing the withdrawal within 24 hours, while maintaining control over 53% of the Gaza Strip. The new line – called the “yellow line” – largely corresponds to the map published by Trumpwith modifications agreed with Jerusalem. Israeli troops will leave Gaza Cityconquered during the operation «Gideon’s Chariot 2»focusing on security areas and border corridors.
The sequence of liberations and the arrival of Trump
Once the withdrawal is complete, a 72-hour countdown will begin, during which Hamas will have to hand over all the hostages without public ceremonies. According to estimates, i Live prisoners will be released on Sundaywhile the bodies of the deceased on Monday. At the same time Israel will release 250 security prisoners1,700 Gaza civilians detained after October 7 and 22 minors, as well as returning 360 bodies of Palestinian militiamen. Prisoners convicted of murder or producing weapons used in attacks will be transferred to Gaza or abroad, with a permanent ban on returning to Israel or the West Bank. The president is expected to arrive on Sunday Donald Trumpwho will give a speech at Knesset to celebrate the first success of his peace plan. Sources of White House anticipate that in the second phase of the project the demilitarization of Gaza and the creation of a joint transition authority will be discussed Israeli-Palestinian under American supervision.
The fractures in the coalition and the political weight of the agreement
Despite the scope of the agreement, divisions within the government remain deep. Smotrich And Ben Gvir they called the agreement “a moral surrender,” charging Netanyahu to «reward terrorism and submit to foreign pressure». However, the prime minister managed to guarantee a stable majority and avoid an immediate government crisis. The approval of the plan represents a personal success for Netanyahuwhich consolidates its role as a privileged interlocutor of Trump and reaffirms the line pragmatic-strategic of Israel. The choice to proceed with a controlled ceasefire, rather than a total withdrawal, allows Jerusalem to maintain a significant military presence and influence the future administration of Gaza. The green light for the plan Israeli-American it is the result of an unprecedented diplomatic triangulation between Washington, Cairo And Doha. THE’Egyptguarantor of the truce, monitors compliance with the ceasefire; Qatar, which bears enormous responsibility for what has happened so far, maintains indirect contacts with the leadership of Hamas; there Türkiyeanother sponsor of Hamas, while remaining out of the way, offers political support to the mediators. This convergence highlights that the project of Trump it is not just a bilateral agreement, but a regional plan to contain Iranian influence and stabilize the eastern Mediterranean.
The second phase of the plan starts uphill
However, everything happens in a context of extreme fragility. The second phase of the planwhich involves the demilitarization of Gaza and the creation of a transitional authority, promises to be full of pitfalls: Hamasaccording to Israeli and diplomatic sources, it does not intend to disarm itself or give up political control of the enclave. According to the writer and essayist Niram Ferretti«the agreement reached gives us the hostages alive and dead but, beyond the jubilation for their release, leaves many unknowns about the implementation of the subsequent phases. Hamas obtained a guarantee that once the hostages were handed over, the war would not resume. He reiterated it Gideon Sa’arminister of Israeli Foreign Affairs. We then have to ask ourselves who will have the power to disarm him and who will be able to guarantee that he will have no management role in Gaza. There is talk of an Arab force, but it is not known who will make it up and when it should come into action. The bottom line is that Hamas he has not been defeated, and is still able to dictate his terms.” The fragile truce therefore risks turning into a tactical pause rather than a real peace, while the future of Gaza remains suspended between American diplomacy and the reality of a movement that does not accept to cede power.
