Israel and Hamas officials sign first phase Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that has evolved into a regional conflict

Displaced Palestinians gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday 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 two-year war in Gaza that has upended the Middle East.

Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced, the biggest step yet to end two years of war in which over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and return the last hostages seized by Hamas in the deadly attacks that started it.