US President Donald Trump has said that Palestinians will not be expelled from besieged Gaza under his 20-point ceasefire plan and stressed that the agreement is "all finalised and done."
"Nobody's going to be forced to leave. No, it's just the opposite. No, we're not looking to do that at all. This is a great plan. This is a great peace plan. This is a plan that was supported by everybody," Trump said on Thursday when asked by a reporter whether Palestinians will be expelled from Gaza under the proposed ceasefire deal.
Trump said the Gaza ceasefire deal has been "all finalised and done" and that he plans to travel to the Middle East this weekend.
"I think it's going to be great. I think the hostages will be coming back on Monday or Tuesday. I'll probably be there. I hope to be there. And we're planning on leaving sometime Sunday, and I look forward to it," he told reporters at the Oval Office.
Trump said that Israeli captives held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt.
On September 29, he unveiled a 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Palestinian enclave.
Phase two envisions a new Gaza governance sans Hamas, a Palestinian-Arab security force, and Hamas' disarmament.
A Hamas representative, however, asserted Palestinians reject disarmament, stressing their need for arms and ongoing resistance.
All eyes on meeting of Israel's full cabinet
Trump said the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of the peace plan.
"There will be disarming," he told reporters, adding there would also be "pullbacks" by Israeli forces.
The ceasefire was to take hold in devastated Gaza within 24 hours of the security cabinet meeting, the Israeli government said.
Following that meeting, Israel's full cabinet met to approve the deal, under which the military should withdraw from Gaza.
"The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all the hostages," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists earlier.
"All of our hostages, the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday," she said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the release of the hostages "should bring the end to this war".
