Washington, Oct. 10 -- In a historic breakthrough, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of US President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war in Gaza.

"Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps", Trump posted on Truth Social.

The breakthrough in the talks under US aegis came exactly two years and a day after the October 7 brutal attack by Hamas on Israel that began the conflict. Since the war erupted in 2023, Israeli airstrikes have...