Israel approves Gaza hostage release deal as Trump plans visit
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the US ceasefire and hostage release deal to end the war in Gaza, as ordinary Palestinian and Israeli civilians celebrate with hope in emotional, jubilant scenes
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
Israel’s security cabinet has approved a ceasefire* and hostage release agreement with Hamas*, ending the war in Gaza after two years of fighting. Sparked by Hamas’s October 7 2023 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, the war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Palestine and claimed nearly 70,000 lives.
“The government has just approved the framework for the release of all the hostages* – both the living and the deceased,” the Israeli government statement said.
The agreement in Egypt follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by US President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the White House on Friday AEST time, Mr Trump said that all hostages would be released on “Monday or Tuesday”.
Mr Trump will attend a summit on the Gaza peace plan in Egypt on Monday with more than 20 other leaders, according to the Egyptian Presidency.
The US military will oversee the initial stages of the Gaza peacekeeping force – but “no US troops are intended to go into Gaza”, an official told the New York Post.
The peace plan, unveiled by President Trump on September 29, has been negotiated since Monday, with a breakthrough finally reached with Hamas on Wednesday night.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts in stopping the war.
“We couldn’t have achieved (the ceasefire) without the extraordinary help from President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff*, and Jared Kushner*,” he said on a clip shared to X.
“That and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, and the combined military and diplomatic* pressure that isolated Hamas brought us to that point.
“I want to personally thank both of you, Steve, Jared – it’s been long hours.
“You worked around the clock, but not only worked – I think you put in your brains and your hearts.
“We know that it’s for the benefit of Israel and the US, for the benefit of decent people everywhere.”
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has given a rare interview following the peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
“What happened today is a historic moment,” he told Israel’s Channel 12, according to Agence France-Presse.
“We have been hoping – and continue to hope – that we can bring an end to the bloodshed taking place in our land, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem.
“Today, we are very happy that the bloodshed has ceased. We hope it remains this way, and that peace, security, and stability will prevail between us and Israel.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised American intervention in his response to the deal.
Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane on Friday, Mr Albanese said the hostage agreement was a “welcome advance” and that President Trump “deserves congratulations” for his role in the agreement.
“I just want to say that I very much welcome this breakthrough – we have called for some time for a ceasefire, for the release of hostages, for aid to be granted,” the Prime Minister said.
“That needs to happen, and we also need to talk about the day after, which requires a two-state solution.
“I think President Trump deserves congratulations for the leadership the United States has shown.
“We’ve always said that this will require US leadership and that is what we have seen here, but it’s a very welcome advance.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- ceasefire: an agreement, usually between two armies, to stop fighting in order to allow peace talks
- Hamas: a listed terrorist organisation in Australia, this nationalist group is dedicated to establishing an independent Islamic state in Palestine, including via terrorism, and controls the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian section of the Mediterranean coast
- hostages: people who have been captured by a person or group and who may be killed or injured if others do not do what that person or group demands
- Steve Witkoff: US Special Envoy
- Jared Kushner: Donald Trump’s son-in-law, married to Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump
- diplomatic: of or relating to diplomacy or diplomats who are skilled in negotiating, especially between states or people
EXTRA READING
Australia to recognise Palestine
What is the Israel and Palestine conflict?
World leaders remember Holocaust
QUICK QUIZ
- Which event on which date started the two years of fighting in Gaza?
- How many points are in the US-led peace plan agreed in principle by Israel and Hamas?
- Where will US President Donald Trump meet on Monday local time to discuss Gaza, along with how many other leaders?
- Who is the Palestinian President?
- Who did Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu thank for their efforts on securing the ceasefire?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. US involvement
Explain your understanding of the reasons for US involvement in the ceasefire deal. Think about the following when giving your answer:
Why do you think it is that Israel and Hamas could not decide their own terms and needed outside assistance?
What are some of the reasons that the US may have been influential?
Why the US and not another country, such as Australia?
Why do the US (and other countries) care and want to help solve the conflict?
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, HASS, Ethical Understanding
2. Extension
Write a paragraph or poem that explains what peace means to you.
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are important in connecting ideas in a text and improving its flow. They help to join sentences, clauses or phrases to create a coherent and meaningful text.
Co-ordinating conjunctions are used to connect equal ideas or phrases – for example: and, but, or, so, yet, nor.
Subordinating conjunctions are connecting words or phrases that join a subordinating clause to the main idea. They provide additional information about the main idea – for example: because, although, while, when, if, since, until.
Complete at least two activities from the choices below:
Read the news article carefully and highlight all the conjunctions used in the text.
Write down the conjunctions you found and the words or phrases they connect.
Identify the type of conjunction used (coordinating conjunctions or subordinating conjunctions).
Explain the role of conjunctions in connecting ideas and improving the flow of a text.
Write a short paragraph about something you found interesting in the article. Challenge yourself to re-use three conjunctions from the text. Can you up-level them to a higher level conjunction? Does it make the sentence better or harder to read? (Sometimes, the basic conjunction is the best choice).