Late on October 8th President Donald Trump wrote on social media: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan.” Hamas, Israel and Qatar confirmed the deal.

"I may go there sometime toward the end of the week," President Trump said of a possible trip to the Middle East.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in Gaza and release at least some hostages and prisoners in an agreement that was put forward by the Trump administration.

President Trump announced on Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas signed off on the first phase of a peace agreement. Mona Yacoubian, director and senior adviser of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,

President Donald Trump is considering visiting the Middle East on the same day the Israel-Hamas hostages must be released.

Early on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led fighters launched a multipronged terrorist attack on Israel. The resulting war in Gaza has created a humanitarian catastrophe.

The United States under the Biden and Trump administrations has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war two years ago, according to a new academic study published Tuesday, the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that provoked the conflict.