Trump Launches ‘Phase Two’ of Gaza Deal After Hostage Release

US President Donald Trump has announced the start of “phase two” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, following the release of 20 Israeli hostages under the first stage of the deal brokered by Türkiye, the US, Qatar, and Egypt.

“All twenty hostages are back and feeling as good as can be expected,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday. “A big burden has been lifted, but the job is not done. The dead have not been returned, as promised! Phase Two begins right now!!!”

The first phase of the agreement saw a hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed from Israel’s Ofer military prison and other detention facilities in the Negev Desert, while all 20 living Israeli hostages were released.

Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted a high-level summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, bringing together international leaders to rally support for the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan.

According to US officials, phase two of the deal focuses on establishing a new governing mechanism in Gaza, deploying a multinational peacekeeping force, and overseeing the disarmament of Hamas.

Israeli bombardments since October 2023 have killed over 67,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, leaving much of Gaza in ruins and uninhabitable.

Markets and shops in southern Khan Yunis have begun reopening as residents cautiously resume daily life following the Israeli troop withdrawal from several cities and villages in the enclave.