The White House and President Donald Trump were cautiously optimistic on Thursday after announcing Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of the proposed ceasefire deal.
The Israeli Cabinet approved the peace deal in a vote Thursday, according to The Jerusalem Post. The cabinet meeting was attended by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who encouraged those present to approve the agreement.
If all goes according to plan in the next few days, the remaining hostages in Gaza could be returned by Monday. While celebrations in Gaza City and Tel Aviv commemorate the end of the war, involved parties are holding their breath as past deals have fallen apart. Still, the return of all remaining hostages, alive and dead, will mark a new moment in the war that began over two years ago.
Trump and White House response
Earlier, a senior White House official confirmed to the Deseret News that after the Israeli Cabinet approved the deal, Israel would withdraw to an agreed upon line, which is expected to take less than 24 hours. At that point, the 72-hour clock begins for hostages, both alive and dead, to be returned to Israel.
“Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday,” the White House official said in a statement.
Trump echoed the sentiment during his own Cabinet meeting at the White House Thursday. He shared that it was a “momentous breakthrough in the Middle East” and said he thinks that it will be a lasting peace.
The release of the hostages by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners by Israel should happen in the coming days.
“Getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. There are places you don’t want to be, but we are getting the hostages back … Monday or Tuesday and that’ll be a day of joy,” Trump said.
While the president praised his administration and negotiators for securing the deal, he also made note of the international effort to end the war.
“The amazing thing is, all of the countries over there, from Qatar to Saudi Arabia to (United Arab Emirates), all of them, the rich ones, the less than rich ones, they’ve all come together, something which is amazing,” he said.
Trump later added that he wanted to extend his “tremendous gratitude” to the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Indonesia for helping get the ceasefire deal negotiated and across the finish line.
“The whole world has come together for this,” he said. “People that didn’t like each other, neighboring countries that, frankly, didn’t like each other.”
Trump also thanked Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and special envoy Witkoff. Kushner, who played a role in the negotiations of the Abraham Accords, also played a role in the peace proposal and negotiations.
The president has so far not offered more information about the final details of the peace agreement, including the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza, humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and international governing bodies to help oversee peace in the region. However, in the Cabinet meeting, he noted that Gaza is going to be “slowly redone.”
“You have tremendous wealth in that part of the world by certain countries and just a small part of that, what they make, will do wonders for Gaza, and I think you’re going to see some tremendous countries stepping up and putting up a lot of money and taking care of things, but there’s tremendous spirit like I haven’t seen,” Trump said.
Trump may be heading to the Middle East for a peace signing ceremony on Friday, but the White House has not confirmed the plans yet.
Utah delegation celebrates
Sen. John Curtis said the agreement and hostages being returned and a ceasefire in Gaza was a “long-overdue moment of hope.”
“After two years of suffering and uncertainty, this agreement —brokered by President Trump and his administration — offers the first real path toward ending the violence. For that, I express deep gratitude. Their tireless work has opened the door to something the region hasn’t seen in far too long: a chance at peace,” Curtis said.
The Utah senator said he is praying that Arab nations and Israel will rally together for peace, stability and prosperity for the people in the region.
Sen. Mike Lee responded to news of the agreement by reposting the president’s Truth Social post announcing the deal had been reached.
“Peace in the Middle East,” he said. “this is what winning looks like.”
1st District Rep. Blake Moore said the United States is unmatched in “careful and thoughtful diplomacy.”
“This monumental deal could not have been brokered or leveraged by any other great power,” Moore said. “President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Special Envoy Witkoff did a masterful job at getting us to this point.”
Moore said the end of Hamas rule in Gaza and the hostage agreement with Israel should be celebrated around the world. He hopes that the peace deal will bring several things to the region, including long-term security for Israel, a prosperous future for the Palestinian people and normalization and stability among the countries in the Middle East.
“Peace through strength prevails again, and I am grateful to the Trump administration for their work on this historic agreement,” he wrote.
Rep. Celeste Maloy, who represents Utah’s 2nd District, called the pace agreement a “historic breakthrough.” She also praised Trump’s “peace through strength” approach to foreign policy.
“After two long years, this deal brings us one step closer to ending the conflict and securing the release of all hostages. I am hopeful it will help restore stability and security to Israel and the broader region,” she said.
4th District Rep. Burgess Owens similarly celebrated Trump’s “peace through strength” mentality and said America is a “force for peace.”
“We pray this historic deal between Israel and Hamas will bring every hostage home and deliver lasting peace in the Middle East,” Owens wrote.
3rd District Rep. Mike Kennedy said “American leadership is delivering real results for America and for the world.”
He commended Trump, Rubio and Witkoff, and said the agreement is “a historic step toward lasting peace and stability in the region.”