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AMMAN — A senior Palestinian official familiar with the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt this week said the Gaza peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump includes Hamas releasing 20 Israeli hostages alive in one batch as part of the agreement’s first phase.

The official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the deal stipulates the handover of 20 living Israeli captives held in Gaza for the past two years.

A Hamas source involved in the talks also told AFP that the exchange of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will take place within the first 72 hours of the agreement’s implementation, which was reached in Cairo early Thursday.

According to Hamas sources, the first phase of the deal involves the exchange of living Israeli hostages for the release of 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 detainees arrested after October 7, 2023, along with a scheduled Israeli withdrawal.

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of the peace plan, saying all hostages would soon be released and Israel would pull its troops back to an agreed line in preparation for a “strong and lasting peace.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday that all parties would be treated fairly, describing the day as “great for the Arab and Islamic worlds, for Israel, and for the United States,” while thanking Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their roles in what he called a “historic and unprecedented event.”