The Jewish Talmud says that “he who saves one life saves the entire world.” with Arab mediation, based on the road map proposed by the United States, will finally silence the guns and save lives. No one has absolute certainty that the so-called “peace process” will advance, but in hand, right now, we have the commitment to launch its first phase. And that means stopping a two-year offensive, returning the hostages home, letting in humanitarian aid, releasing Palestinian prisoners.
The gloomy feeling of general fragility and the certainty that, for now, this is only a patch, has not prevented joy from breaking out among the beneficiaries of the pact. The sensations are the same among the Gazans and the families of the kidnapped. Some have taken to the streets to celebrate the announcement made by the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Very different streets, very different realities, but the same relief. In the dark streets of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, full of rubble and makeshift tents, and in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, immediate hope prevailed.
They explain that, curiously, first they saw groups celebrating, especially young people, but shortly after the news became known, what came was silence. Because? Because the Palestinians cannot bear their soul and have taken advantage of the first hours of relative calm – the firing has not yet completely ceased, there have been attacks tonight, but also a kind of impasse– to sleep.
“This is unusually different compared to previous nights and days. We were driving through areas and next to displaced persons camps with many tents, and we have literally seen no people on the streets. Everyone sleeps in tents. In recent weeks, people have not had this opportunity. They were always hypervigilant due to the constant threats and danger that they had to be aware of, such as drone attacks, constant combat and bombing throughout the Strip. But tonight, unusually, as we drove towards this transmission point next to a displaced persons camp, to our surprise, everyone seemed to be sleeping. I think they are taking advantage of the fact that tonight is quiet. There are no background drones to keep you awake. There are no fighter planes. There is no heavy artillery. And when I see this, I think they deserve a good night’s sleep. But does this change everything? For now, At least, the first phase of the agreement is underway, and we hope it is maintained. That is the hope,” writes reporter Hani Mahmoud.
It has been an exciting moment in which Gaza journalists, of whom more than 200 have been killed in this war, have gone through the streets informing citizens of what was announced in Washington.
The families of the hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip received the news with a mixture of “emotion” and “concern”, and urged the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu to approve it as soon as possible. In a statement, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum celebrated the agreement, but with demands. “The Israeli Government must meet immediately to approve the agreement. Any delay could have serious consequences for the hostages and soldiers,” indicates the note, published by EFE.
He highlights that the agreement will return all the hostages, “the living for rehabilitation with their families and the deceased for a dignified burial in their homeland.” “This represents an important and significant advance for the return of everyone, but our fight is not over and will not end until the last hostage returns,” the families add. And they express their “deep gratitude” to US President Trump and his team “for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough: the end of the war and a comprehensive agreement for the return of all hostages.”
In Tel Aviv, spontaneous groups gathered this morning, in a kind of improvised vigil, in which the faces were very different from those of these days. The smiles and hugs of happiness won. For the families of the kidnapped, there remains the recovery of the bodies of the dead, to give them peace, and that of the living, who will have to go through a complex healing process.
Celebration in the streets of Tel Aviv of the agreement between Israel and Hamas on Donald Trump’s road map for Gaza, on October 9, 2025.
Israel’s Security Cabinet is scheduled to meet today, followed by a full government meeting to authorize the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages. “With God’s help, we will bring them all home,” Netanyahu said. Hamas has also confirmed that it is awaiting final approval of the list of prisoners, which included emblematic names such as . This is the third ceasefire reached since the start of a bloody war two years ago, and both sides hope it will mark a complete end to the fighting.
It is not clear whether international guarantees have been given to ensure this. There are also few details about the thorny issues covered by the US peace plan. It demands that Hamas hand over its weapons, something it has repeatedly refused, and lays out plans for post-war governance and reconstruction of Gaza, much of which lies in ruins.
A global applause
The agreement proposed by Trump is far from perfect. It has tons of loopholes and leaves the Palestinian people and their leaders very isolated, when it is their future that is at stake, but at least this first phase, tangible, possible, has garnered widespread applause. And the compliments to Trump for promoting him, too, to the point that he insists that he is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. “Maybe they’ll find an excuse not to give it to me,” he complained tonight.
The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, welcomed the announcement and, in an official statement, highlighted the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to achieve this “much-needed” progress and urged all parties to fully respect the terms of the agreement. Guterres stressed that all hostages must be released in a dignified manner and that the ceasefire must be permanently consolidated.
Furthermore, he called to ensure the immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza, with the aim of ending the suffering of the civilian population. The UN, it says, will support the full implementation of the agreement, intensifying the delivery of humanitarian aid and promoting recovery and reconstruction efforts in the region. He also urged taking advantage of this historic opportunity to move towards a two-state solution that recognizes the self-determination of the Palestinian people and allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.
The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, has also stated that the truce agreement comes with an immense delay, after two years of suffering and that it will not erase everything that the Palestinians have suffered, up to 67,000 known deaths. Callamard also urged Israel to immediately end its suffocating blockade on Gaza and allow the unimpeded flow of aid to the besieged enclave.
The head of Amnesty maintains that, for any lasting ceasefire agreement to be successful, it must include an immediate end to the Israeli genocide, as well as concrete measures to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories and dismantle the apartheid system. “The current plan, the so-called ‘Trump peace plan’, is woefully insufficient in this regard. It does not demand justice or reparations for victims of heinous crimes or accountability for perpetrators,” he adds.
With Europe sleeping, Asian and American countries were the first to react to this announcement. On the old continent, for now only the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has celebrated the announcement and has asked to allow aid to enter Gaza after months of blockade. “I welcome the news that an agreement has been reached on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza,” he declared. “This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on vital humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he claims.
From India, its Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has said that the agreement reflects “the firm leadership” of his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This also reflects Prime Minister Netanyahu’s strong leadership,” Modi said in a post on his official X social media profile. The Indian prime minister added that he hopes that “the release of the hostages and increased humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring them relief and pave the way for lasting peace.”
The Japanese Government, for its part, the first phase of the agreement and asked “all those involved” to sincerely comply with the pact, in the words of government spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi. “This agreement is an important step for the situation to calm down,” Hayashi said in his daily press conference, who also thanked the United States, Egypt and Qatar for their efforts to mediate between the parties.
For the Australian cabinet, this is “a much-needed step towards peace,” in the words of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong. The Executive stressed that Australia “has been a constant part of international calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and unrestricted access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Canberra urged all parties to respect the terms of the plan and welcomed Trump’s diplomatic efforts, as well as the role played by Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye in achieving the agreement. The Australian Government also endorsed the plan’s provision excluding Hamas from any role in the future administration of Gaza, and reiterated its commitment to a “just and lasting two-state solution.” “There is a long way to go to recover Gaza, ensure lasting peace and build the Palestinian state,” he concludes.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated President Trump for his “essential leadership” following the announcement to “end the war in Gaza” and free all the hostages. “Congratulations to President Trump for his essential leadership and thanks to Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for their tireless work supporting the negotiations,” Carney said in a statement. “I am relieved to know that the hostages will soon be reunited with their families. After years of intense suffering, peace finally seems achievable. Canada urges all parties to quickly implement the agreed terms and work towards a just and lasting peace,” he added.
And from Argentina, its president, Javier Milei, has given Trump his ear: “Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump,” Milei wrote on the social network And he stated: “Any other leader with such achievements would have received it a long time ago.”
