Trump Says Israel Agrees to Gaza Withdrawal Line as Part of Cease-Fire Plan

The president says a cease-fire and hostage exchange will take effect once Hamas agrees to the terms of a U.S.-brokered proposal.

A convoy of Israeli tanks is deployed at Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, on Sept. 16, 2025. Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 4 that Israel has agreed to an initial withdrawal line in Gaza as part of his administration’s peace plan to end the war and secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.

“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE.”

The announcement followed days of intensive talks involving intermediaries from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, after Hamas issued its formal response to Trump’s 20-point peace proposal. That plan, unveiled earlier in the week, outlines a multiphase process under which Israel would withdraw to a designated line inside Gaza, halt military operations, and begin a comprehensive exchange of hostages and prisoners.

Under the proposal, Hamas would release all Israeli hostages—both living and deceased—in return for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences. The plan also bars Israel from occupying or annexing Gaza and sets out steps to demilitarize and deradicalize the territory under international oversight.

Hamas stated that it welcomes Trump’s proposal and is ready to release all hostages and relinquish power over Gaza, although the group noted that other provisions would require additional consultations among Palestinians.

Trump said in an earlier post that, based on the statement issued by Hamas, he believes that they are ready for a “lasting peace” and that only “details” remain to be worked out.

Israeli officials signaled their readiness to move forward. The Prime Minister’s Office stated on Oct. 3 that Israel is preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the plan’s first stage and pledged coordination with Washington.

“We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set by Israel that are in line with President Trump’s vision,” the statement reads.

The Israel Defense Forces stated that the political leadership has directed the military to “advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase,” focusing on the release of hostages held by Hamas and the redeployment of forces in Gaza.

In his own statement later on Oct. 4, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the moment as one of the most consequential in Israel’s modern history.

“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, we are on the verge of a very great achievement,” he said. “It is not yet final; we are working on it diligently.”

Netanyahu noted that, in the coming days, he expects to be able “to inform you about the return of all our hostages, both living and deceased, in one phase, while the IDF remains deep within the Strip and in the controlling areas within it.”

Netanyahu said Israel’s military and diplomatic campaign had forced Hamas to accept terms it had long rejected while crediting Trump and his team with helping to shift the balance of pressure in Israel’s favor.

“Concurrently, I coordinated a diplomatic move with President [Trump] and his team that instantly flipped the script,” Netanyahu said. “Instead of Israel being isolated—Hamas is isolated.”

The war began after Hamas-led terrorists launched a surprise assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting roughly 250 others. According to figures released by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 66,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, although those numbers cannot be independently verified.

If confirmed, Trump’s cease-fire and withdrawal framework would mark the first direct agreement between Israel and Hamas since the conflict began nearly two years ago—and potentially the first coordinated disarmament and hostage-release plan in the history of the decades-long Israeli–Palestinian conflict.