In the first phase of the ceasefire plan, Israel will remain in control of nearly 60 percent of the Gaza Strip.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning in Gaza, United States President Donald Trump announced that Hamas and Israel had agreed on the first phase of his ceasefire and captive-exchange plan.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated : “ALL the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line.”
The “agreed upon line” refers to a vague map shared by Trump on October 4, showing an initial Israeli withdrawal zone marked in yellow, later dubbed the “yellow line” by Trump officials.
After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next… pic.twitter.com/0VfaMSOqQ1
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 4, 2025
By Sunday or Monday, Hamas is expected to release about 20 living captives, along with the bodies of about 25 others, while Israel will free some 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. Final details have yet to be confirmed.
Where is the initial withdrawal ‘yellow line’?
Israel currently controls more than 80 percent of Gaza’s 365sq km (141sq miles) area, including areas under forced evacuation orders or designated by Israel as military zones.
Once the deal is signed, fighting would be expected to end immediately, and Israeli forces would withdraw to the line marked in yellow.
The final map has not yet been published following negotiations in Egypt, but based on the October 4 map, the area inside the yellow line represents approximately 155sq km (60sq miles), leaving about 210sq km (81sq miles), or 58 percent of Gaza, under Israeli control, as verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad team.
Most notably, Israeli forces will remain in several previously populous Palestinian neighbourhoods, including:
Beit Lahiya
Beit Hanoon
Parts of Gaza City’s Shujayea, Tuffah and Zeitoun
More than half of the Khan Younis governorate
Nearly all of the Rafah governorate
In addition, Israel will continue to control all crossings in and out of Gaza, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced multiple times throughout two years of war and are desperate to return to their homes, but the continued Israeli presence in these areas makes that unlikely in the near term.
(Al Jazeera)
What is supposed to happen next?
According to the 20-point plan announced by Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 29 – developed without any Palestinian input – Israel is to withdraw its forces in three phases, as shown on an accompanying crude map, with each phase marked in a different colour:
(Al Jazeera)
Initial withdrawal (yellow line): In the first phase, Hamas is expected to release all remaining Israeli captives, both living and deceased, while Israeli forces pull back to the line designated in yellow on the map.
Second withdrawal (red line): During the second phase, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be mobilised to oversee security and support Palestinian policing, while Israeli forces retreat further to the line marked in red, reducing their direct presence in Gaza.
Third withdrawal (security buffer zone): In the final phase, Israeli forces are to pull back to a designated “security buffer zone”, leaving a limited portion of Gaza under Israeli military control, while an international administrative body supervises governance and a transitional period.
Even after the third withdrawal phase, Palestinians will be confined to an area which is smaller than before the war, continuing a pattern of Israel’s control over Gaza and its people.
Many questions remain about how the plan will be implemented, the exact boundaries of Palestinian territory, the timing and scope of Israeli withdrawals, the role of the International Stabilization Force, and the long-term implications for Palestinians across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Video shows emergency service crews celebrating the announcement of a ceasefire deal with chants and sirens. The U.S.-brokered agreement aims to end the two-year Gaza conflict, but residents reported ongoing Israeli attacks ahead of the formal start of the ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement which is expected to result in the release of hostages being held in the Gaza Strip for more than two years has caused delight and relief across Israel.
The Hostages Families Forum, an organisation that has advocated for the return of Israeli captives in Gaza, expressed “profound gratitude” to Trump for what it called an “historic breakthrough”.
The deal – which still must be agreed upon by Israel’s war cabinet – will see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
So far, 148 hostages have been returned – most as part of previous ceasefire deals – 51 bodies have been recovered and eight hostages have been rescued.
Jubilant scenes have unfolded in Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv as hundreds of people gathered ahead of the deal being signed.
A crowd began clapping and dancing under US and Israeli flags – one woman holding up a sign saying: “We love Trump.”
“It’s a magical day,” the woman said.
Another, 50-year-old Yael, cried as she watched the crowd dancing.
“I’m very excited – it’s such a relief,” she said. “We need to see them come back home to their families.”
The mother and sister of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker lit fireworks in celebration of the news that he would be returned home.
“They’re coming back!… Matan is coming home!” Einav Zangauker said as she held her daughter.
Viki Cohen, the mother of Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen, posted on social media: “My child, you are coming home.”
Reuters
The delight was palpable in the streets of Tel Aviv following the announcement
Rotem Cooper’s parents were taken hostage on that fateful day for Israel. His mother was released later that month, but his father was killed in captivity and his body remains in Gaza.
“It’s a mixed bag [of emotions] – the first is of accomplishment. It’s something we’ve been fighting for, through moments of desperation, trying to get a deal, any deal, for the hostages,” he said.
“It’s what we’ve been fighting for, why we’ve been spending countless hours on the streets, at rallies, on this stage, at the Knesset [the Israeli parliament], travelling abroad, talking to world leaders. All of a sudden, we’re here. That’s worth fighting for – it’s about all the hostages. It’s about ending the war.”
The deal, he said, meant he could finally bury his father and mourn.
Former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari celebrated with another freed hostage Romi Gonen, reciting prayers of gratitude, then toasting “L’chaim”, meaning “to life”. She has been campaigning for the release of her friends, twins Gali and Ziv Berman.
Their brother Liran Berman posted: “My Gali and Ziv, I love you so much. You’re coming home.”
Gil Dickman’s cousin Carmel Gat was taken hostage on 7 October 2023, and her body recovered from a tunnel in Gaza almost a year later. He has been joining other hostage families in pushing for a deal that brings the return of all those still being held in Gaza.
“I can’t quite believe this is actually happening. We’ve been waiting for so long and here it is,” he said.
He said he felt “broken” that Carmel will not be among those returning home but was “glowing with joy for the families of the hostages who are finally coming back”.
Reuters
Eitan Horn was seized from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel along with his brother
Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn remains captive in Gaza, said she felt like she was living “in a dream”.
“We’re more than grateful to President Trump and everything he has done for us. We feel like it might be the beginning of the end of this nightmare, and hugging Eitan feels closer than ever,” she said.
But she cautioned that it was still too soon to celebrate.
“Until the last hostage is here, we’re not opening the champagne. We’re going to keep fighting… until the end,” she said.
“So many things can happen until the last moment so this is why we’re being so, so careful. We just want to thank everyone who was involved in the efforts and make sure this agreement is done… We will celebrate only once we have the last hostage back home.”
Eitan was taken from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel along with his brother Iair, who was released from captivity in a ceasefire deal earlier this year.
During a press conference in India, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new Gaza ceasefire deal marks “a moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world”.
Alibaba Cloud named cloud computing and AI partner of NBA China as the basketball league returns after six years.
Published On 9 Oct 20259 Oct 2025
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba have announced a multiyear partnership, as the league stages two games in Macau to mark its return to the Chinese market for the first time since 2019.
The announcement by Alibaba Group on Thursday said it would provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services with the NBA and enhance fan experiences on the NBA app in China.
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Alibaba Cloud will be the official cloud computing and AI partner of NBA China, it said.
The NBA is due to play two preseason games in the Chinese special administrative region on Friday and Sunday, part of a five-year contract with Las Vegas Sands’ Macau unit Sands China.
The games mark the first time the NBA is playing in Macau, the world’s largest gambling hub, and follow a years-long absence amid controversy over the 2019 Hong Kong protests.
The Macau games aim to bolster the NBA’s profile in China, where the league estimates say about 300 million people play basketball, at a time of rising political tensions between the United States and China.
The NBA’s absence followed a firestorm of controversy about comments made six years ago by the Houston Rockets’ then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.
In the aftermath, Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. Preseason NBA games in China were also scrapped.
The NBA games are being held at the Sands Venetian property, and Shaquille O’Neal is among NBA celebrities attending the event, the league said.
Sands owner, the US billionaire Adelson family, also owns the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks.
The Brooklyn Nets, owned by Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai, will play the Phoenix Suns at sold-out games in the arena.
This NBA season comes with high hopes for a Chinese rookie: Yang Hansen, a 7-foot-1 (216cm) draft pick who is expected to play a role for the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
He’s thrilled that the NBA is headed back there, finally.
“I want to say firstly, playing for the Blazers is a wonderful thing for me, and I wish that I can take all the players and management and coaches to China for sure in the future,” Yang said with the support of an interpreter.
“For sure, I wish [for] more games in China. … That works for me perfectly.”
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal built off United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan aimed at ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line”, Trump said on his Truth Social platform, announcing the ceasefire agreement late on Wednesday.
Under the first phase of the plan, Hamas and other Palestinian factions are required to release 20 Israeli captives held in Gaza who are believed to be alive, and the bodies of 28 others in the Palestinian territory. Israel is required to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners it holds in its jails, based on a list shared by Hamas. This includes hundreds of people from Gaza whom Israel has arrested since the start of the war in October 2023.
In a separate phone interview with Fox News on its Hannity programme, Trump said Israeli captives held in Gaza could be released on Monday.
Israel and Hamas subsequently confirmed the agreement, though key differences remain over their interpretations of how Trump’s broader plan is to unfold.
The announcement followed three days of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Senior officials from Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt and the US had joined the delegations from Israel and Hamas on Wednesday for those talks.
The ceasefire has not come into force yet, but the announcement of the deal prompted messages of congratulations and hope from regional and world leaders.
Here are some of them:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio updates President Trump on the Gaza proposal during a roundtable on antifa on September 22, at the White House in Washington, DC, October 8, 2025 [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]
US President Donald Trump
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on Truth Social, soon after he received a note from Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the middle of a press briefing, telling the president that a deal was close to being struck.
“All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Speaking to Sean Hannity on the phone on Fox News, Trump claimed that the world will see “people getting along and Gaza will be rebuilt”, adding that it is going to be a “different world” and that there will be “wealth spent in Gaza”.
“I’m very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East.”
Trump has hinted that he might travel to Egypt as soon as this weekend.
“I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” he told reporters at the White House earlier on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“A big day for Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement from his Jerusalem office.
“Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home,” he said, thanking Israeli soldiers for “their courage and sacrifice”.
He extended his “heartfelt thanks” to Trump and his team “for their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages”.
“With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors”.
Hamas
“We highly appreciate the efforts of our brothers and mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and we also value the efforts of US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war completely and achieving a full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a statement.
“We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement its obligations under the agreement and to prevent it from evading or delaying the implementation of what has been agreed upon.
“We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and throughout our homeland and the diaspora, who have demonstrated unparalleled honor, courage, and heroism — confronting the fascist occupation projects that targeted them and their national rights. These sacrifices and steadfast positions have thwarted the Israeli occupation’s schemes of subjugation and displacement.
“We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge — never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”
I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire & hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by @POTUS. I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt & Türkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough.
“I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by President Donald J Trump. I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough,” Guterres said in a statement.
“I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once and for all.”
The leader of the UN stressed the need for “immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza” so that the suffering could end.
“The United Nations will support the full implementation of the agreement and will scale up the delivery of sustained and principled humanitarian relief, and we will advance recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza,” Guterres added.
He mentioned how the peace talks should be the starting point to “achieving a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security”.
“I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people … The stakes have never been higher.”
Qatar
Qatar has led mediation efforts to end the war over the past two years. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani headed to Egypt to participate in the ceasefire talks, underscoring the urgency of efforts to end the war.
“The mediators announce that tonight an agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after the announcement of the ceasefire deal.
Talking about the agreement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on X that “details will be announced later”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Starmer urged that the agreement on the first stage of Trump’s plan for Gaza must be implemented in full without delay.
“I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he said in a statement.
We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu.
We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way…
Modi welcomed the first phase agreement, calling it a step towards lasting peace in the region.
“We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu,” Modi said in a post on X.
“We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters
“Hamas needs to release all of the hostages and Israel must withdraw their troops to the agreed-upon line,” Peters said in a statement.
“This is an essential first step towards achieving lasting peace. We urge Israel and Hamas to continue working towards a complete resolution.”
“There is a sense of happiness” in Gaza, says BBC correspondent
US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal.
It comes two years and two days after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
At least 67,183 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then, including 20,179 children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
Here is what we know about the agreement, and what remains unclear:
What has been announced?
After intense negotiations in Egypt, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a first phase of a US peace plan, the US president said.
Announcing the deal on social media, Trump said: “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line.”
“All parties” would be treated fairly, said Trump, who called these the “first steps toward… everlasting peace”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a great day for Israel” and said his government would meet on Thursday to approve the agreement and “bring all our dear hostages home”.
In confirming the announcement, Hamas said it would “end the war in Gaza, ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange”.
Israel and Hamas do not speak directly to each other – the negotiations were brokered by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
Watch: Trump says Middle East deal ‘very close’ after being passed note by Marco Rubio
What happens next?
Israel’s government is due to vote on the deal on Thursday.
If they formally approve it, Israel must withdraw its troops from Gaza to the agreed line, a senior White House official told BBC’s US partner, CBS News. The withdrawal would likely happen within 24 hours, the official said.
After this happens, a 72-hour clock will begin where Hamas must release the living hostages.
The release of the hostages would likely begin on Monday, the senior White House official said.
What do we not know?
What’s been announced so far is just the initial phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which Israel has accepted and Hamas has partly agreed to.
However the announcements did not cover some thorny issues both sides have not reached a resolution on.
Notably, no details surround the disarmament of Hamas – a key point in Trump’s plan. Hamas has previously refused to lay down its weapons, saying it would only do so when a Palestinian state had been established.
The future governance of Gaza is also a sticking point. Trump’s 20-point plan states Hamas will have no future role in the Strip and proposes it be temporarily governed by a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee”, before being handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu appeared to push back on the Palestinian Authority’s involvement last week, even as he accepted Trump’s plan.
Ultranationalist hardliners within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, many of whom want to reconstruct Jewish settlements in Gaza, are also likely to object to this point.
Hamas, in response, said it still expected to have some role in governing Gaza.
In addition, as of Wednesday night, Hamas had not yet received the final list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel plans to release in exchange for the hostages in Gaza, a Palestinian source told the BBC.
The 20-point plan states that 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023 will be released.
What’s been the reaction?
Reuters
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, reacts after Trump’s announcement
Relatives of Israeli hostages have welcomed the deal.
Eli Sharabi, whose wife and children were killed, and whose brother Yossi’s body is being held by Hamas, posted: “Great joy, can’t wait to see everyone home.”
The mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen posted: “My child, you are coming home.”
Meanwhile in Gaza, celebrations broke out after the announcement. “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” Abdul Majeed abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
Reuters
Palestinians celebrate after the announcement
World leaders have urged parties to abide by the deal.
“The suffering must end,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, adding that the UN would support the “full implementation” of the deal, as well as increase its delivery of aid and its reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news, saying: “This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the agreement a “much needed step towards peace” and urged parties to “respect the terms of the plan”.
Lawmakers in the US have struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
“This is a first step, and all parties need to ensure this leads to an enduring end to this war,” Democrat Senator Chris Coons said in an X post.
Republican James Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it a welcome deal and said he “looks forward to learning [its] details”.
With reporting by Rushdi Abualouf and Lucy Manning
Warner Bros. said Wednesday it will renew the contract for studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy after the two orchestrated a string of back-to-back hits at the box office.
The news is a notable reversal of fortune for the co-chairs and co-chief executives of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.
Only six months ago, the pair was on thin ice after a series of underperforming films, including Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi thriller “Mickey 17” and the Robert De Niro-led mob movie “The Alto Knights.”
But the studio’s prospects dramatically changed in April with the release of “A Minecraft Movie,” which hauled in nearly $958 million worldwide. Shortly after, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” became a lasting hit at the box office, followed by “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1 The Movie” (which Warner Bros. distributed), James Gunn’s “Superman,” horror flick “Weapons” and the final installment of “The Conjuring.”
In a memo to staff Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav credited Abdy and De Luca for the improved performance at the box office.
He touted the studio’s “balanced” slate with big blockbusters, films based on established intellectual property, horror movies and original works.
“Mike and Pam’s unwavering leadership and commitment to this business has been critical to our success this year,” he wrote. “We have a lot to be grateful for and much to celebrate including several of this year’s best reviewed movies, many of which have pierced the culture zeitgeist in profound ways while also delighting moviegoers around the world.”
Warner Bros. recently surpassed $4 billion at the global box office, the first time it has done so since 2019 and the first studio to reach this mark this year.
“We have the privilege to do this job because of the support and trust [Zaslav] has put in us, and in all of you,” De Luca and Abdy said in an internal note to employees. “We could not be more excited to be leading this team as we introduce an exciting slate of films in the coming years and continue making every film experience an event worthy of the Warner Bros. shield.”
Oct. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a peace deal and hostage/prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is “very close,” and he might travel to the Middle East this weekend.
Earlier in the day, Trump’s lead negotiators, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, finished their first day of talks in Egypt with Israel, Hamas and other Arab partners, including Qatar, which has been a mediator.
Israel’s chief negotiator is Ron Dermer, who didn’t arrive at talks until Wednesday.
They are seeking to end the war that began in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, after the militant Hamas attacked Israel.
“Our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well,” Trump said during a White House roundtable on Antifa, during which he was handed a note by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with the latest information. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week. We’ll see, but there’s a very good chance that negotiations are going along very well.’
Trump said he might leave for the Middle East as early as Saturday from Washington, D.C.
“We haven’t decided exactly,” Trump said. “I’ll be going to Egypt. Most likely. That’s where everybody is gathered right now, and we appreciate that very much, but I’ll be making the rounds as the expression goes.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi invited Trump to attend the signing ceremony.
Final details were still being worked out in the Red Sea town of Sharm El-Sheikh.
“With God’s help, may we have a happy holiday with good news,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told those gathered to mark the Day of Georgian Jewry in Israel.
Hamas would disarm and end control of Gaza. The area, which at one time had about 2.2 million Palestinians, would be governed temporarily by international trustees overseen by the U.S. and Arab allies. Hundreds of thousands have fled from the Gaza Strip and more than 67,000 have died, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Hamas has opposed the oversight committee led by Trump, called a “Board of Peace.”
On Monday, Trump said Hamas has “agreed to very important things” during the negotiations.
The plan calls for an exchange of hostages by Hamas and prisoners by Israel within 72 hours of an agreement.
In Gaza, Israel believes there are 20 live hostages and 28 dead.
“We are very close to an agreement. What’s still pending is the list of prisoners [to be] exchanged,” a Hamas official told CNN.
Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, has been in touch with the negotiators.
“We’re getting very positive reports, as of an hour ago,” Rubio said as he left the Senate Republican lunch at the Capitol. “I feel optimistic that we’re going to get to a deal, hopefully, that hostages will be released — all the hostages. There’s good progress being made. But it all begins with all the hostages coming home. And I think we have to be optimistic, but there’s still some work to be done.”
With a deal near, Rubio canceled a trip to France to meet with other foreign ministers.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming “more and more catastrophic,” the emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in the area told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
It’s a narrow win — but a win nonetheless — for the opponents of the controversial trade agreement reached with the Mercosur countries in December 2024.
A show of hands from European lawmakers on Wednesday saw 269 of them reject a paragraph of a resolution on the EU’s political strategy for Latin America that welcomed the conclusion of the Mercosur agreement — offering a preview of the showdown taking shape in the European Parliament over the controversial trade deal.
The Strasbourg vote was decided by just 10 votes, as 259 other MEPs voted in favour, reflecting a divided hemicycle over this controversial agreement.
“The European Parliament is once again expressing its scepticism about the trade agreement with Mercosur,” French MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew) wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
“The political signal is very clear: there are more MEPs who have profound doubts about the merits of this agreement than MEPs who want it adopted immediately.”
The European Commission, which had been at the helm during more than twenty years of negotiations for this agreement, submitted it for ratification to the Council and for its consent to the European Parliament on 3 September.
However, it remains uncertain whether the final step for the EU to conclude the agreement will proceed smoothly.
The deal, which liberalises trade between Mercosur countries — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — and the EU, reduces tariffs on many products, including some agricultural goods, raising concerns among European farmers about facing unfair competition from Latin American producers.
Opponents of the agreement also fear that Mercosur countries will not comply with European phytosanitary and environmental standards.
The agreement “abandons agriculture and livestock, harms the environment, fuels deforestation, rolls out the red carpet for extractive multinationals,” Spanish MEP Irene Montero (The Left), who prompted the vote on Wednesday, told Euronews.
“We will continue fighting to ensure that this agreement is not ratified and to stop the danger it poses to the environment and our primary sector.”
Supporters of the deal argue, on the other hand, that this text — which creates a free trade area of 700 million people — is necessary in the new global trade context to face Chinese competition in Mercosur countries and diversify trading partners, especially as the US is raising tariff barriers around its market.
The part of the resolution that was rejected welcomed the conclusion of the deal’s negotiations, highlighting “the fact that the agreement would be a real game changer for the relationship between the two regions.”
The deal “would be the largest trade agreement ever signed by the EU in terms of population, covering more than 700 million citizens, and the most significant in terms of its economic impact,” the resolution emphasised.
The resolution also stressed the “geopolitical value” of the deal, “as an essential tool for advancing the EU’s strategic interests in the current international context.”
The plenary vote on the Mercosur agreement itself has not yet been scheduled. A source familiar with the matter told Euronews that the European Parliament’s administration hopes it will be on the MEPs’ agenda by the end of the year.
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Opposition parties are calling on embattled President Macron to resign before his term ends in 2027.
Caretaker French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has played down the prospect of a dissolution of parliament following talks with political parties to form a coalition and pass an austerity budget to resolve the nation’s worst political turmoil in years.
The talks showed a desire to pass the proposed budget cuts by the end of the year, Lecornu said, following an impasse which has prompted calls for embattled President Emmanuel Macron to step down.
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“This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote,” Lecornu said in a speech on Wednesday at Paris’s Matignon Palace.
Lecornu, who himself resigned on Monday after less than a month in power, said he would present a plan to Macron later on Wednesday.
The plan is the latest development in a political crisis that started when Macron called snap elections last year. His goal was to get a stronger majority in parliament, but he instead finished with an even more fractious assembly.
This plunged France into deeper political chaos: with no governing majority, the parliament has been unable to approve the budget to narrow France’s growing debt.
To resolve the deadlock, Macron appointed three prime ministers who either failed to secure a majority or resigned, including Lecornu.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have been seizing the momentum. A leading figure of far-right National Rally (NR) party, Marine Le Pen, has once again called for Macron to resign before the president’s term ends in 2027.
“Let’s return to the ballot box,” Marine Le Pen said on Monday. “The French must decide, that is clear,” she told reporters. Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, NR’s president, refused to join negotiations with Lecornu , French media reported on Tuesday, saying that such talks did not serve the interest of French citizens but rather those of Macron.
They called instead for the dissolution of the National Assembly. Following last year’s elections, NR won more seats than any other, but not enough to form a majority.
In September, a poll by TF1-LCI showed that more than 60 percent of French voters approved new elections. And should those take place, the leaders of the NR would lead the race’s first round, according to a poll by Ifop Fiducial.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, and Francois-Xavier Bellamy, head of the right-wing Republicans party, also called for the president to resign.
The political chaos is not only emboldening Macron’s rivals, it is also turning his allies away.
“I no longer understand the decision of the president. There was the dissolution and since then, there’s been decisions that suggest a relentless desire to stay in control,” said Gabriel Attal, leader of the president’s centrist party.
“People are abandoning him on all sides, it’s clear that he is responsible for the political crisis which gets worse each day,” said political analyst Elisa Auange. “He seems to be making all the wrong decisions.”
Donald Trump says a Middle East peace deal is “very close,” pledging US security guarantees for Gaza two years after the war began. American envoys are heading to Egypt for what officials describe as the most promising talks yet to end the devastating conflict.
Just two weeks after its rival Nvidia struck a massive AI deal with ChatGPT owner OpenAI, AI chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices did the same.
On Monday, chipmakerAdvanced Micro Devices(AMD 23.61%) announced a huge artificial intelligence (AI) strategic partnership with OpenAI, the AI model developer best known for its ChatGPT chatbot. Not only did this news send shares of AMD up a whopping 23.7%, but it also gave a boost to many other AI stocks and the market in general.
AMD’s news came exactly two weeks after its rival Nvidia(NVDA -1.10%), whose graphics processing units (GPUs) dominate the AI chip market, announced a massive deal with OpenAI.
The AMD-OpenAI strategic partnership involves AMD supplying 6 gigawatts of its Instinct series GPUs to power OpenAI’s next-generation AI infrastructure. The first 1 gigawatt deployment of AMD Instinct MI450 GPUs is set to begin in the second half of 2026. That’s the same time frame involved in the Nvidia-OpenAI deal.
Moreover — and this is big for AMD — “AMD has issued OpenAI a warrant for up to 160 million shares of AMD common stock, structured to vest as specific milestones are achieved,” according to the press release. AMD has a total of about 1.62 billion shares outstanding, so 160 million shares is about 10% of total shares.
For context, before the deal was announced, AMD had a market cap of about $267 billion. Ten percent of that is $26.7 billion.
Putting 6 gigawatts in context
Six gigawatts equates to a ton of computing power. Here are a couple of stats to put 6 gigawatts of power in context:
New York City’s average power demand is about 6.5 gigawatts, and its peak power demand in the summer is roughly 10 to 11 gigawatts.
Six large-scale nuclear reactors have a power output of about 6 gigawatts.
Recap of the Nvidia-OpenAI AI deal
On Sept. 27, Nvidia announced its massive deal with OpenAI. The highlights of this strategic partnership:
The companies plan to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems for OpenAI’s next-generation AI infrastructure.
The announcement stated that the systems will be used to “train and run [OpenAI’s] next generation of models on the path to deploying superintelligence.” [Emphasis mine.]
The first phase is targeted to come online in the second half of 2026 using the Nvidia Vera Rubin platform.
Nvidia plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI as the new Nvidia systems are deployed.
What are the broader implications for the AI space?
This seems like a win-win deal for both AMD and OpenAI. OpenAI secures a large supply of AI-enabling GPUs over multiple years. This is no small thing, as GPUs are in great demand, so supply has been tight. That’s especially true of Nvidia’s GPUs, but no doubt, also true to some extent for AMD.
On AMD’s part, it secures a huge multiyear customer for its GPUs, and it is poised to get a hefty inflow of cash as OpenAI buys up to 10% of AMD’s shares. The partnership “is expected to deliver tens of billions of dollars in revenue for AMD,” CFO Jean Hu said in the release. Moreover, it’s “expected to be highly accretive to AMD’s non-GAAP [generally accepted accounting principles] earnings per share, ” she added.
Taken together with the recent Nvidia-OpenAI humongous AI deal and other big deals in the space, there are positive implications for the broader AI market.
The main implication, in my opinion, is that these massive AI chip and infrastructure deals should accelerate the race to move beyond generative AI to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) and then artificial superintelligence (ASI), as I wrote about after the Nvidia-OpenAI deal was announced. Nvidia and AMD should be two of the big beneficiaries of this race, as companies rush to buy even more of their AI-enabling GPUs.
Beth McKenna has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The deal also gives the ChatGPT creator the option to buy upto 10 percent of AMD.
Published On 6 Oct 20256 Oct 2025
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United States chipmaker AMD will supply artificial intelligence chips to OpenAI in a multi-year deal that would bring in tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue and give the ChatGPT creator the option to buy up to roughly 10 percent of the company.
Shares of the chipmaker surged more than 34 percent on Monday when the deal was announced, putting them on track for their biggest one-day gain in more than nine years and adding roughly $80bn to the company’s market value.
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The deal, latest in a string of investment commitments, underscores OpenAI and the broader AI industry’s voracious appetite for computing power as companies race towards developing AI technology that meets or exceeds human intelligence.
“We view this deal as certainly transformative, not just for AMD, but for the dynamics of the industry,” AMD executive vice president Forrest Norrod told the Reuters news agency.
Deal helps ‘validate technology’
The agreement closely ties the startup at the centre of the AI boom to AMD, one of the strongest rivals of Nvidia, which recently agreed to make substantial investments in OpenAI.
Analysts said it was a significant vote of confidence in AMD’s AI chips and software but is unlikely to dent Nvidia’s dominance, as the market leader continues to sell every AI chip it can make.
AMD executives expect the deal to net tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. Because of the ripple affect of the agreement, AMD expects to receive more than $100bn in new revenue over four years from OpenAI and other customers, they said.
The chipmaker is expected to report revenue of $32.78bn this year, according to LSEG data. In contrast, analysts are expecting Nvidia to report revenue of $206.26bn for the current fiscal year.
“AMD has really trailed Nvidia for quite some time. So I think it helps validate their technology,” said Leah Bennett, chief investment strategist at Concurrent Asset Management.
Shares of Nvidia dipped more than 1 percent.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the AMD deal will help his startup build enough AI infrastructure to meet its needs.
It was not immediately clear how OpenAI would fund the enormous deal.
OpenAI, which is valued at $500bn, generated approximately $4.3bn in revenue in the first half of 2025 and burned through $2.5bn in cash, according to media reports.
In September, Nvidia announced a deal to supply OpenAI with at least 10 gigawatts worth of its systems.
In contrast with the startup’s deal with AMD where it will take a stake in the chipmaker, Nvidia will invest $100bn in the ChatGPT parent under the terms of the agreement announced in September.
Taking a stake in AMD could give OpenAI “the power to potentially influence corporate strategy. With Nvidia, OpenAI is simply the client and not a part-owner,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at A J Bell.
OpenAI has worked with AMD for years, providing inputs on the design of older generations of AI chips.
The startup and its main backer, Microsoft, announced last month that they had signed a non-binding agreement to restructure OpenAI in to a for-profit entity.
A person familiar with the matter said the deal with AMD does not change any of OpenAI’s ongoing compute plans, including that effort or its partnership with Microsoft.
The chipmaker just got a huge vote of confidence from the creator of ChatGPT.
Since the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in early 2023, Advanced Micro Devices(AMD 25.63%) has been something of a wild card. The increasing demand for graphics processing units (GPUs) that can handle the rigors of AI has been unparalleled, but not all AI chipmakers are created equal.
There’s no denying that Nvidia(NVDA -1.13%) has been the biggest beneficiary of the accelerating adoption of AI, given its status as a market share leader in the data center space, where most AI processing occurs. Nvidia has ridden this unprecedented demand to new heights, becoming the largest publicly traded company in the world when measured by market cap.
While Nvidia stock has soared 1,180% since the dawn of AI, AMD stock has only risen 154% during the same period (as of market close on Friday). The company has been working diligently to stake its claim in the windfall that is AI.
Shareholders were elated when AMD announced a groundbreaking deal with OpenAI that could be a game changer. As a result, the stock gained 30% Monday morning (as of this writing) — and that could be just the beginning.
Image source: AMD.
Far-reaching strategic partnership
OpenAI is largely credited with kick-starting the AI revolution, thanks to its development of ChatGPT, the generative AI system that took the technology to the next level. In a press release that dropped Monday morning, AMD announced a far-reaching strategic partnership with OpenAI.
Under the terms of the multiyear, multigenerational agreement, OpenAI will install 6 gigawatts of AMD GPUs. The rollout will begin with 1 gigawatt of AMD Instinct MI450 series chips and rack-scale AI solutions in the second half of 2026. Beyond simply supplying GPUs, AMD will work side by side with OpenAI as a “core strategic compute partner” to create future generations of AI chips optimized for AI applications.
The companies noted that the partnership began with the MI300X and continued with the MI350X series of chips. Many experts believe these processors are a competitive alternative to Nvidia’s advanced AI chips at a lower price, making them ideal for use with the large language models that underpin generative AI.
Perhaps the most eye-opening development is that, as part of the agreement, AMD has issued OpenAI a warrant to purchase up to 160 million shares of AMD stock — equal to a roughly 10% stake in the company — contingent upon the company achieving specific share price targets and OpenAI reaching certain technical and commercial milestones.
The first tranche is scheduled to vest on the completion of the deployment of the first gigawatt of GPUs, with additional milestones at the completion of each successive gigawatt.
Is this deal a game changer?
In many cases, saying a deal is a game changer is hyperbole, but in this case, I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration. In its recent financing deal, OpenAI was valued at roughly $500 billion, making it the world’s most valuable start-up. Furthermore, the company has quickly ascended the ranks to become one of the largest buyers of high-end AI-centric chips as it works to development its next-generation AI systems.
Assuming things go as planned, this deal provides AMD with a relatively secure revenue stream that the company estimates will be worth tens of billions of dollars. For context, the company generated revenue of nearly $26 billion in 2024, which helps to illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity.
Furthermore, this deal acts as a ringing endorsement for AMD’s processors. For potential buyers of AMD chips sitting on the fence, this could be the catalyst for taking the plunge and adopting the company’s AI solutions.
Some investors have been concerned that the adoption of AI will hit a wall, but there’s simply no evidence to support these assertions. Furthermore, estimates regarding the addressable market for generative AI continue to climb. Big Four accounting firm PwC estimates the market could be worth as much as $15.7 trillion annually by 2030.
If AMD can carve out just a small piece of that massive opportunity, today’s stock price move could be just the beginning. Furthermore, at roughly 35 times next year’s sales, AMD stock is attractively priced relative to the burgeoning opportunity.
Danny Vena has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Strictly Come Dancing pro Dianne Buswell is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, and her co-stars have been showering her with love and support
Dianne Buswell is expecting her first child(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Pregnant Dianne Buswell says she ‘can’t deal’ after her Strictly Come Dancing co-star left her on the verge of tears.
The professional dancer is taking part in the competition this year alongside Neighbours icon Stefan Dennis, and the duo made their competition debut during the opening week last weekend, delivering a Foxtrot to the Neighbours Theme by Barry Crocker.
Following their performance, Stefan acknowledged there had been issues with the routine, but judge Anton Du Beke still praised it as a “brilliant effort”. However, judge Craig Revel Horwood went on the attack, stating that the dance had been “littered with mistakes”.
The actor, renowned for portraying Neighbours’ Paul Robinson for four decades, and defending champion Dianne, who is expecting her first child, delivered an 80s-themed cha cha to Give It Up by KC And The Sunshine Band, earning 17 points.
Last month, Dianne announced that she is expecting her first baby – a boy – with her partner Joe Sugg. The Australian dancer and the YouTuber first crossed paths on Strictly in 2018 when they were partnered together for that series.
The expectant parents shared the news through a charming video, accompanied by Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’, which showed them creating a painting that depicted themselves as stick figures with a smaller one between them to symbolise their baby.
Dianne and Joe have subsequently been inundated with messages of affection, with Dianne also receiving presents whilst working on Strictly at Elstree Studios.
On Saturday, Dianne posted on social media, revealing she had been given a tiny cardigan that was delivered to the studio after her pregnancy reveal.
Accompanying the image, which displayed the miniature piece of handcrafted knitwear, the Australian performer shared a series of tearful face emojis before writing: “This was sent to the studio today and I cannot deal. It’s so small.”
During the latest live programme, she returned to her social media account and alongside a selfie with Strictly colleague Neil Jones, in which she could be seen pouting with an emotional expression, Dianne displayed the gift. Displaying a miniature pair of Adidas trainers, Dianne wrote: “Nah I can’t deal thank you Uncle Jonsey [face holding back tears and heart emojis] @mr_njonesofficial @joe_sugg.”
She also revealed another parcel containing tiny baby socks decorated with teddy bears. “And then these from uncle @ciaranfoley [face holding back tears and heart emojis] @joe_sugg. This lille boy is already so loved and lucky. Thank you [face holding back tears and heart emojis].”
DONALD Trump has warned of a “massive bloodshed” if Hamas fails to agree to a peace deal in the coming days.
Trump warned he will “not tolerate delay” from Hamas – and has urged both sides to move quickly towards a deal or else “all bets will be off”.
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Trump has warned of a ‘massive bloodshed’ if Hamas fails to agree to a peace deal in the coming daysCredit: Getty
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Hamas agreed to some parts of the 20-point US peace planCredit: AP
Trump revealed indirect talks between Israel, Hamas and other mediators from the Arab countries have been “very positive” – and that he expects the first phase of his proposed peace deal should be completed “this week”.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, the US president said: “There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend.
“These talks have been very successful and are proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet on Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.
“I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.
“Time is of the essence, or massive bloodshed will follow – something that nobody wants to see.”
It comes after Hamas agreed to some parts of the 20-point US peace plan, including releasing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats.
Though it said it was seeking negotiations on other issues.
Negotiators from both sides will now gather at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope that the hostages could be released within days.
The White House said Trump had also sent two envoys to Egypt – his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.
Trump’s Final Ultimatum to Hamas: The 48-Hour Peace Deal Deadline
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged Israel to stop bombing Gaza ahead of the discussions in Egypt.
“You can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told CBS News talk show “Face the Nation”.
“There can’t be a war going on in the middle of it.”
The radical Islamist fanatics seized 251 hostages during their October 7 attack, 47 of whom are still in Gaza.
Of those, the Israeli military says 25 are dead.
Israel, meanwhile, has continued to carry out strikes.
Gaza’s civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli attacks killed at least 20 people across the territory on Sunday, 13 of them in Gaza City.
He revealed that Tel Aviv agreed to the initial withdrawal line presented to Hamas – and that a peace process will begin as soon as the terror group accepts the proposal.
Hamas has previously rejected a phased Israeli withdrawal, insisting instead on an immediate and full pullout.
Over the weekend, the terror group called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, as negotiators from both sides prepared to meet in Egypt for crucial talks.
However, there is so much that could still go wrong.
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A map handed out by the White House showing the phases of withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza StripCredit: White House
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Palestinian Hamas fighters escort Israeli hostages Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy on a stage before handing them overCredit: AFP
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Israeli PM Netanyahu says ‘Hamas will release all our hostages’Credit: Sky News
The 20-point peace plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of living Israeli hostages held by Hamas – as well as the remains of hostages thought to be dead.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
Hamas’s political leadership, based in Qatar, are said to be open to accepting it – but with amendments.
Although they have been unable to hold sway, as they do not have control of Israeli hostages – whose fate plays a crucial part in the deal.
Hamas demands that issues over Gaza’s future should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, which it will be part of.
But Trump has ruled that out, with Israel saying in no way can the terror group remain in power for peace to occur.
Senior Hamas mouthpiece Mousa Abu Marzouk said the group will not disarm – one of the key points of Trump’s peace deal – until the Israeli “occupation” ends.
Bibi’s vow
But Netanyahu on Saturday warned that the demilitarisation of Gaza is imminent.
“Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised – either the easy way or the hard way, but it will be achieved,” he said in his speech.
Hamas said it was ready “to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
It has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body.
A successful ceasefire could then pave the way for 48 hostages – of whom just 20 are believed to be alive – to be released from Gaza terror tunnels after two years in hell.
A truce – if it holds – could also allow vital humanitarian aid to flood into the besieged coastal strip, where Hamas says more than 66,000 Palestinians have died in fighting.
A new “Board of Peace” chaired by the US president and run by former UK PM Tony Blair would then move in to rebuild the strip before peace-loving Palestinians take over.
Earlier this week, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the most senior Hamas military commander still in Gaza, told the BBC that Trump’s plan “serves Israel’s interests and ignores those of the Palestinian people”.
Israel has already backed Trump’s peace plan, which involves an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and Hamas disarmament.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan in full
1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.
15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.
Bettina Aptheker was a 20-year-old sophomore at UC Berkeley when she climbed on top of a police car, barefoot so she wouldn’t damage it, and helped start the Free Speech Movement.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand,” she told a crowd gathered in Sproul Plaza on that October Thursday in 1964, quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
She was blinded by the lights of the television cameras, but the students roared back approval, and “their energy just sort of went through my whole body,” she told me.
Berkeley, as Aptheker describes it, was still caught in the tail end of the McCarthyism of the 1950s, when the 1st Amendment was almost felled by fear of government reprisals. Days earlier, administrators had passed rules that cracked down on political speech on campus.
Aptheker and other students had planned a peaceful protest, only to have police roll up and arrest a graduate student named Jack Weinberg, a lanky guy with floppy hair and a mustache who had spent the summer working for the civil rights movement.
Well-versed in those non-violent methods that were finally winning a bit of equality for Black Americans, hundreds of students sat down around the cruiser, remaining there more than 30 hours — while hecklers threw eggs and cigarette butts and police massed at the periphery — before the protesters successfully negotiated with the university to restore free speech on campus.
History was made, and the Free Speech Movement born through the most American of traits — courage, passion and the invincibility of youth.
“You can’t imagine something like that happening today,” Aptheker said of their success. “It was a different time period, but it feels very similar to the kind of repression that’s going on now.”
Under the standards President Trump is pushing on the University of Southern California and eight other institutions, Aptheker would likely be arrested, using “lawful force if necessary,” as his 10-page “compact for academic excellence” requires. And the protest of the students would crushed by policies that would demand “civility” over freedom.
If you somehow missed his latest attack on higher education, the Trump administration sent this compact to USC and eight other institutions Thursday, asking them to acquiesce to a list of demands in return for the carrot of front-of-the-line access to federal grants and benefits.
While voluntary, the agreement threatens strongman-style, that institutions of higher education are “free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forgo federal benefits.”
That’s the stick, the loss of federal funding. UCLA, Berkeley and California’s other public universities can tell you what it feels like to get thumped with it.
“It’s intended to roll back any of the gains we’ve made,” Aptheker said of Trump’s policies. “No university should make any kind of deal with him.”
The greatest problem with this nefarious pact is that much of it sounds on the surface to be reasonable, if not desirable. My favorite part: A demand that the sky-high tuition of signatory universities be frozen for five years.
USC tuition currently comes in at close to $70,000 a year without housing. What normal parent thinks that sounds doable?
Even the parts about protests sound, on the surface, no big deal.
“Truth-seeking is a core function of institutions of higher education. Fulfilling this mission requires maintaining a vibrant marketplace of ideas where different views can be explored, debated, and challenged,” the document reads. “Signatories acknowledge that the freedom to debate requires conditions of civility.”
Civility like taking your shoes off before climbing on a police car, right?
As with all things Trump, though, the devil isn’t even in the details. It’s right there in black and white. The agreement requires civility, Trump style. That includes abolishing anything that could “delay or disrupt class instruction,” which is pretty much every protest, with or without footwear.
Any university that signs on also would be agreeing to “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”
So no more talking bad about far-right ideas, folks. That’s belittling to our racists, misogynists, Christian nationalists and conservative snowflakes of all persuasions. Take, for example, the increasingly popular conservative idea that slavery was actually good for Black people, or at least not that bad.
Or what about an environmental science class that teaches accurately that climate change denial is unscientific, and that it was at best anti-intellectual when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently referred to efforts to save the planet as “crap”? Would that be uncivil and belittling to conservatives?
Belittle is a tiny word with big reach. I worry that entire academic departments could be felled by it, and certainly professors of certain persuasions.
Aptheker, now 81, went on to become just the sort of professor Trump would likely loathe, teaching about freedom and inclusivity at UC Santa Cruz for decades. It was there that I first heard her lecture. I was a mixed-race kid who had been the target of more than one racial slur growing up, but I had never heard my personal experiences put into the larger context of being a person of color or a woman.
Listening to Aptheker and professors like her, I learned not only how to see my life within the broader fabric of society, but learned how collective action has improved conditions for the most vulnerable among us, decade after decade.
It is ultimately this knowledge that Trump wants to crush — that while power concedes nothing without a demand, collective demands work because they are a power of their own.
Even more than silencing students or smashing protests, Trump’s compact seeks to purge this truth, and those who hold it, from the system. Signing this so-called deal isn’t just a betrayal of students, it’s a betrayal of the mission of every university worth its tuition, and a betrayal of the values that uphold our democracy.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has rightfully threatened to withhold state funding from any California university that signs, writing on social media that the Golden State “will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom.”
Of course, some universities will sign it willingly. University of Texas called it an “honor” to be asked. There will always be those who collaborate in their own demise.
But authoritarians live with the constant fear that people like Aptheker will teach a new generation their hard-won lessons, will open their minds to bold ideas and will question old realities that are not as unbreakable as they might appear. Universities, far from assuaging that constant fear, should fight to make it a reality.
Anything less belittles the very point of a university education.
Amazon’s line of Fire tablets are great, all-purpose devices for browsing and streaming – especially for shoppers who want to stay away from the big bucks of more powerful devices like Apple iPads and Samsung Tabs.
It also doubles up as an e-reader, though dedicated book-lovers should gravitate towards the retailer’s Kindle range.
The Fire HD 10 is perfect for watching, reading, and gaming, and it’s 25% faster than the old model.
Basically, its engine got a major upgrade – it now has a powerful processor and 3 GB of RAM, which helps everything run super-smoothly.
You get awesome HD entertainment on a big 10.1-inch screen that makes all your games and shows look great with brilliant colour.
(By the way, if you want something smaller and cheaper, the 8-inch Fire HD 8 is also on sale for just £49.99.)
The tablet has serious stamina: you can binge-watch for up to 13 hours without needing to plug into its charger.
The tablet is durable, too, with a strengthened screen that Amazon claims to to be 2.7 times tougher than the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 (2022) in a drop test.
Need a good device to chat with friends and family? The 5MP front camera is way better for video calls than squinting at your small phone screen.
For storage, it comes with 32GB or 64GB of space, which is expandable by up to 1TB with a separate microSD card.
And this being an Amazon gadget, you can operate it via Alexa – it can help you out with streaming videos, relaying the latest news and controlling other smart devices in the same connected ecosystem.
Amazon Prime Day: early Fire Tablet Deals
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet (newest gen), £69.99 (was £149.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet (newest gen), £129.99 (was £249.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet (newest gen), £49.99 (was £99.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet (newest gen), £79.99 (was £159.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet (newest gen), £69.99 (was £149.99) – buy here
“The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a fantastic budget-friendly tablet,” writes one shopper.
“The 10.1-inch screen is bright and clear, perfect for watching videos, reading, or browsing.
“The battery easily lasts up to 13 hours – ideal for all-day use.”
Another delighted customer added: “Quality item… I can’t get over the size of the screen, it’s 10 inches but looks bigger.
“The tablet is lightning-fast, and it does everything that I expect from an Amazon Fire… Well worth the investment.”
A lot more deals are on the way when the Prime Big Deal Days sale starts next week, and it’s worth keeping in mind that these early device deals might become exclusively for Prime members.
So, while this current deal is marked on the Amazon site as ending on October 14th, it’s not impossible it will only be available for Amazon Prime members soon.
Anyone without a Prime account who’s interested shouldn’t hold off for too long on buying.
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, £69.99 (was £149.99)
Make sure you bookmark our best Amazon Prime Day deals page, where we’ll be listing all the top bargains when the two-day sale kicks off.
For our top pick of smart gadgets available to snap up right now, head to our Amazon device deals page.
Amazon Prime Day: the 10 best early deals
The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale doesn’t kick off until next week (7th-8th October), but there’s already some early deals to snap up.
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
Blink Smart Camera & Doorbell bundle, £31.49 (was £119.98) – buy here
Poounur Fitness Smartwatch, £23.99 (was £129.99) – buy here
Hangsun 12L/Day Dehumidifier, £88.38 (was £118.98) – buy here
LKOUY Portable Charger, £12.99 (was £59.99) – buy here
Slumberdown Feels Like Down King Size Duvet, £21.56 (was £31.19) – buy here
