In a significant development on Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan — a ceasefire and hostage exchange — potentially paving the way to end the devastating two-year conflict that has shaken the Middle East .

Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave.

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, deepened Israel’s international isolation and reshape

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