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Hamas on Thursday announced that it has reached a hostage-ceasefire agreement with Israel during indirect talks in Egypt, saying the exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners would take place within 72 hours of the deal’s implementation.The group confirmed that, as part of the first phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza, it will exchange 20 surviving hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as cited by AFP.Hamas said the deal “provides for an end to the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a prisoner exchange.”Hamas thanked the mediators and US President Donald Trump for brokering an end to the conflict with Israel, while urging them “to compel the occupation government to fully implement the obligations of the agreement and to prevent it from evading or delaying the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”Also read: Donald Trump announces Israel-Hamas ‘sign off’ on first stage of US-brokered Gaza peace deal“We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, inside our homeland and abroad, who have demonstrated unmatched honor, courage, and steadfastness, confronting the occupation’s fascist schemes that targeted them and their national rights,” the statement read further. Hamas also vowed to honor the sacrifices of its people and remain committed to achieving freedom, independence, and self-determination.“We affirm that our people’s sacrifices will not be in vain, and we pledge to remain faithful to our cause and never abandon our national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” the statement adds, as cited by the Times of Israel.This comes as Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to release the remaining Israeli hostages, with Israel set to withdraw its troops to an agreed-upon line, a long-awaited breakthrough that could signal an end to the two-year war in Gaza. Trump said both sides agreed to the first phase of his plan, which calls for the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” Trump said through a post on Truth Social.Also read: Netanyahu hails hostage release plan, calls Trump; Hamas says states should ensure Israel implements ceasefire- Key pointsTrump’s announcement came after a day of intense negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly handed him a note during a White House event, indicating that a deal was imminent. Trump later said he expects to travel to Egypt as early as this weekend, possibly Friday, to oversee the next phase of discussions.This month, Trump introduced a 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the war and securing the release of the remaining hostages. Israel says around 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza and continues to search for the remains of approximately 25 others.
