Trump says Israel agreed to ‘withdrawal line,’ ceasefire to follow once Hamas confirms

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Oct 4) said that Israel has agreed to an initial "withdrawal line" as part of his plan to end the Gaza war, adding that a ceasefire will come into effect once Hamas confirms the arrangement. Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote, "After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to and shared with Hamas." He added that once Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will go into force "IMMEDIATELY". The POTUS also said that with this the world was getting closer to the "end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE".

Hostage-prisoner exchange soon

“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,” said Trump in his Truth Social post signing off in his signature style, “Thank you for your attention to this matter and, STAY TUNED!”

Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Sarah Matthews reposted a video of Trump thanking regional partners for supporting his peace plan.

I want to thank the countries that helped me put this together. Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and so many others. So many people fought so hard. This is a big day. We'll see how it all turns out,” Trump said in the video. “We have to get the final word down in concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents and having some of the hostages, unfortunately, you know the condition they're in, come home likewise to their parents because their parents wanted them just as much as though that young man or young woman were alive.”

Calling the development “unprecedented,” Trump praised what he described as rare unity among Middle Eastern nations. “Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East. And we're very close to achieving that. Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly,” he said.

When will the Gaza ceasefire plan be put into motion?

According to The Times of Israel, a senior Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo on Monday for negotiations on the implementation of Trump’s ceasefire plan. The delegation will include Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, hostage affairs coordinator Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk, and senior officials from the Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence agencies.

Negotiations in Egypt are expected to focus on the full release of hostages held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, along with the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel — a key element of Trump’s proposal to end the conflict.