Israel says 'all parties' signed phase one of Gaza deal

Israel said Thursday that all parties have signed the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and captive release deal, in a major step to end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

The agreement in Egypt follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by US President Donald Trump, after more than two years of war.

Trump was expected to be in Jerusalem on Sunday, the office of his Israeli counterpart said, after the US leader said he might also go to Egypt and consider going to Gaza.

With Israel's security cabinet due to meet from 1400 GMT, a ceasefire was to take hold in devastated Gaza "within 24 hours", government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said.

"The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all the [captives]," she told journalists.

"Now phase one stands very clear: all of our [captives], the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday," she said.

At 1500 GMT, Israel's full cabinet will meet to approve the deal, under which the military should withdraw from Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captives.

The deal also envisions a surge of aid into Gaza, where the UN has declared a state of famine.

The Israeli army said it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza, in line with the agreement.

Trump's plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority headed by the US president himself, though these points have yet to be addressed in discussions.

A source within Hamas told AFP the group will exchange 20 living captives all at the same time for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal's first phase.