Gaza Ceasefire & Hostage Releases Expected ‘Within Days’ As Both Sides Celebrate

Gazans and Israelis, on either side of the conflict, have been celebrating the Trump-brokered ceasefire as it (informally) went into effect for the first day. “A great day in the Middle East!” Trump writes on Truth Social. The Netanyahu government is still expected to formally approve it later in the day.

President Trump has been issuing thank you messages from his social media platform: “United States Ambassador Mike Huckabee is AMAZING! He worked so hard, and did so much, to bring about Peace in the Middle East. He has very quickly become a Great Man. Thank you Mike!” the president writes. He had upon first announcing the deal late Wednesday, “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line.”

Trump has further called the Gaza deal “a great day for the world,” saying, “The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day…  a wonderful day for everybody.”

James Elder, spokesperson for Unicef in Gaza, says from on the ground he’s seeing “for the first time in a long time” a “sense of relief” from Palestinians. “There’s an immense amount of relief right now. You can’t overstate how Palestinians have been pushed to the edge physically and psychologically.” But amid the joy he added that “I’m also seeing emaciated children.”

All the remaining Israeli hostages as well as Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released within days according to the first phase agreement, though a precise timeline is as yet unknown.

As expected, there’s already some contention over logistics and details of the plan, which Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem telling Al Jazeera Arabic that Israel has begun to “manipulate the dates, the lists, and some of the procedures and steps agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement.”

Euphoria erupts in Gaza, people pour onto the streets, singing and dancing as the long-awaited ceasefire is announced. pic.twitter.com/uKx3LIA639

— The Kashmiriyat (@TheKashmiriyat) October 9, 2025

“We are in contact with the mediators to oblige the occupation to comply with what was agreed upon, and not to allow it to procrastinate. There was talk with friends about a ceasefire at noon this day, but the occupation, for internal considerations, is postponing the announcement to other dates,” Qassem said.

There are still significant hurdles to go, and there has been evidence of some sporadic firing from IDF tanks…

🚨 BREAKING: Israeli tanks stationed along Al-Rashid Street fired shells directly toward civilians waiting to return to their homes in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/U2n7GTKqL1

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) October 9, 2025

For one, Hamas expects the IDF to retreat to the agreed upon withdrawal line before it releases the hostages. Also, Israel’s cabinet says it must formally approve the deal at a meeting tonight in order for it to formally take effect.

At this point, there’s still been no details as to how the disarmament of Hamas will happen, or what exactly the future governance of Gaza will look like, other than a US-run ‘board’ and Palestinian technocrats, presumably from the PA.

Meanwhile, the Nobel committee must be getting nervous…

Gazans join Israelis in chanting Trump’s name over cease-fire: ‘Nobel Prize to Trump!’ https://t.co/142AeugCCY pic.twitter.com/qSpMu1xuPM

— New York Post (@nypost) October 9, 2025

Though there’s been a downtick in fighting and shelling, Middle East Eye reports the following Thursday, “Smoke rises over northern Gaza as Israeli strikes continue, despite a ceasefire announcement on Wednesday. Both Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle, but the truce will not take effect until it is approved by the Israeli Knesset later today.”