Trump celebrates 'ending Gaza war' as he makes admission on Ukraine conflict

Thanks for following our updates tonight. Have a good rest of the evening.

The Express Team.

Two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested as antisemitism campaigners demonstrated outside Downing Street to mark a week since the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester.

The Metropolitan Police said the Campaign Against Antisemitism protest, which saw about 2,000 people gather bearing Israeli and Union flags and holding their phone lights in the air, took place largely without incident before dispersing.

Among the placards on show was one bearing the words: "British Jews slaughtered on your watch Starmer", while others carried ones reading: "Will you defend Britain's Jews? Prove it".

The two protesters who refused to leave the area were arrested for breaching public order conditions imposed on Whitehall in central London to combat plans by pro-Palestinians to gather in the same area at the same time, sparking fears of potential clashes.

Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism and one of five speakers who addressed the crowd, questioned why it had taken the killing of British Jews for politicians to start paying attention.

A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said they gathered outside Downing Street "to tell the Government that the double standards and cowardly appeasement of extremists must end".

They added: "The hate marches must be banned, criminals and terrorist-sympathisers must be arrested and jailed, extremist professionals must be struck off, mosques that host radical preachers must face the most severe regulatory action, university students who glorify terror must be expelled, media organisations that promote antisemitic tropes must be sanctioned, and more.

"The Jewish community has been scarred forever, and Britain must never be the same again."

Police are to be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated demonstrations.

The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London on Saturday, despite calls for restraint following the synagogue attack.

Almost 500 people were arrested, with the majority for supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said repeated large-scale protests had caused "considerable fear" for the Jewish community.

The Metropolitan Police imposed Public Order Act conditions on Thursday evening preventing anyone taking part in the pro-Palestinian protests from assembling in a specific area around Whitehall, which covers Downing Street, Parliament Square, Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, Victoria, part of Trafalgar Square, and Westminster Bridge.

The force deployed officers in the vicinity and conditions were also put in force around Great Portland Street and Portland Place due to the proximity of a nearby synagogue.

Writing on X, Israel Katz said: "I have instructed the IDF to respond with great force to any threat and to any attack by the Hamas terror organisation in Gaza against our forces during the interim stage before the government's decision and until the implementation of the agreement.

"Ensuring the safety of IDF soldiers is the top priority we are committed to, and we will take every necessary step to ensure it."

Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, spoke in Egypt and made a statement at odds with the stipulations of Donald Trump's peace plan.

According to Sky News, Hamdan said "no Palestinian accepts disarming" and that Gazans were "in need of weapons and resistance".

Hamdan's words went against Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan which stipulates that Hamas must disarm.

Sheba Medical Center and Beilinson Hospital have shared images of rooms lovingly prepped ready to receive the hostages when they are released on "Monday or Tuesday", according to President Donald Trump. Both medical institutions are highly experienced helping hostages and treating trauma, both physical and mental, from their time in captivity in Gaza.

Dr. Lena Koren Feldman, Director of Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, said: "Over the past two years, we have gained extensive experience in treating returning hostages of all ages and conditions.

"We opened a dedicated department during the war and have kept it ready and waiting for this very moment. The department was designed to provide a home-like atmosphere — a place of warmth, safety, and stability for the returning hostages.

"My team and I are deeply moved and proud to take part in this historic moment and to be here for the returning hostages and their families."

Asked by a reporter what guarantees there were Hamas would not take up arms again and Israel would not resume bombing, the president said: "The first thing we are doing is getting the hostages back, and that's what people wanted more than anything else, they wanted these hostages back that have lived in hell, like nobody has ever dreamt possible, and after that we'll see... but but they've agreed to things and I think it's going to move along pretty well."

Speaking from the Cabinet Room in the White House, Donald Trump said he thought Ukraine Russia war would be the quickest to resolve, but that he hadn't acheived that goal yet but he thought it was "going to happen".

US President Donald Trump has given a press conference detailing the Israel-Hamas peace deal.

He said: "Last night, we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East — something that people said was never going to be done. We ended the war in Gaza... We secured the released of all of the remaining hostages.

"That'll be a day of joy."

The Foreign Secretary was greeted by France's outgoing Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot.

British and European ministers are meeting to discuss Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan for Gaza. Washington has left leaders on the continent and in Westminster looking slightly redundant as the White House forges ahead with a deal to release the hostages.

Jubilant crowds have gathered in Tel-Aviv, Israel, waiting for more official news and when the hostages will come home.

Some 20 of the 48 hostages still in captivity are believed to be alive inside Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu's official X page shared an AI image of the Israeli Prime Minister celebrating with US President Donald Trump as the American leader wore the Nobel Peace Prize around his neck like a medal.

The image showed an Israeli and American generated crowd waving flags and applauding the two men alongside the caption: "Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize - he deserves it!"

The IDF will make its forces retreat to an agreed upon line, but still have control over around 53% of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas will releases its 48 hostages within 72 hours of the IDF withdrawing.

They will be taken to the Red Cross, who will pass them to IDF troops in Gaza, who will escort them to the Re'im military base, where their families will be waiting.

Any who require urgent care will be flown to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, while the remains of the deceased will be received by troops in Gaza.

Donald trump is expected to travel to Jerusalem on Sunday, the Israeli president's office said.

Isaac Herzog had other plans for Sunday, but these have been cancelled in the event of a visit from the US president.

The Israeli cabinet are meeting now to discuss the ceasefire plan for Gaza before they vote on whether to raitfy it.

They will discuss for an hour before another government meeting.

Sir Keir Starmer said the Gaza peace plan "would not have happened without President Trump’s leadership".

He added: "This is a very significant step forward and it would not have happened without President Trump’s leadership on this.

"And I want to be really clear about that and I say that from the informed position of the UK having played a part behind the scenes in this with the US and with the mediators.

"What matters now is to press on and implement this."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his government will help ensure that the ceasefire is implemented by all parties. 

He said: "God willing, we as Turkey will take part in the mission force that will monitor the agreement's implementation in the field."

The ceasefire will take effect within 24 hours of it being ratified by Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

Israel is still neogtiating which Palestinian hostages it will release in return for the hostages kept by Hamas, a source told CN. 

The Israeli source said: "Teams are working on the list of Palestinian prisoners who are supposed to be released. This issue has not yet been resolved.

"Hamas is demanding the release of prisoners that Israel has not yet approved."

They confirmed that any prisoner convicted of murder would not be released to the West Bank, but they could be transferred to a third country.

Lebanon has arrested 32 people on suspicion of spying for Israel, a judicial official. 

The arrests over recent months relate to information allegedly provided to Israel on Hezbollah, which facilitated attacks on the group. 

The official said: "At least 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, six of them before the ceasefire."

So far, nine of them have been tried by a military court and 23 remain under investigation, they added.

The bodies of Hamas military leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar will not be released as part of the peace deal, an Israeli official told CNN. 

Yahya was the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, and killed in October 2024. 

Mohammed, his younger borther, was killed earlier this year and recovered by the Israeli military in June.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said was "once again scaling up humanitarian operations in Gaza".

It added: "This nightmare has gone on too long. But now, there’s a chance - a real chance - to turn the tide. Every minute counts. Let this be the moment we choose humanity."

Israel, America, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt has announced a joint task force to find the dead bodies of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. 

Out of the 48 remaining hostages, 28 are believed to be dead. Their bodies will be difficult to locate after two years of relentless Israeli bombardment razing Gaza to the ground.

Hamas senior leader Osama Hamdan said the group has demanded Israel end its drone operations over the Gaza Strip while it hands over hostages. 

Israeli troops could withdraw from Gaza within 24 hours of the peace deal being ratified, a senior White House official told CBS News.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that hostages will be exchanged within 72 hours of the ceasefire being signed this evening.

They said: "Contrary to Arab media reports, the 72-hour countdown will begin only after the agreement is approved in the cabinet meeting, which is expected in the evening hours."

Images have emerged of Gazans in Khan Younis celebrating the ceasefire agreement, which is due to be ratified this evening.

The remaining Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Hamas on Monday, marking the beginning of the first stage of the peace deal. 

They will be exchanged for Palestinian hostages held by Israel. There are believed to be 20 surviving Israeli hostages and 28 deceased.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has confirmed that a formal agreement has been agreed, which will establish a ceasefire and end the genocide in Gaza.

The ceasefire is expected to come into effect this evening after Israel ratifies it.

Donald Trump has announced that the first stage of a Gaza peace plan has been agreed between Hamas and Israel.

The US president is known to want the Nobel Peace Prize.

His predecessor, Barack Obama, won the accolade in 2009 for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

Trump claims to have been imperative to deals between Azerbaijan and Armenia, India and Pakistan, and this latest pact between Israel and Hamas.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce on Friday who has received the medal.

Click here to vote in the poll.

The ceasefire is expected to come into effect this evening after Israel ratifies it, Benjamin Netanyahu's office has sdaid.

His cabinet will meet at 5pm local time (3pm UK time) to sign the deal, followed by a meeting of the government.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general,  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he is "ready to scale up its work to meet the dire health needs".

He wrote on X that the organisation will also "support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system".

He added: "The best medicine is peace. I hope all parties will respect the agreement, so the suffering of all civilians finally ends and all hostages are brought home respectfully."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope for "an independent Palestinian state" after the ceasefire comes into effect. 

The foreign affairs ministry said Mr Abbas hopes that "these efforts would be a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution", leading to "an end to the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to abide by the ceasefire and called for a permanent end to the suffering.

He wrote on X: "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 & for all. Immediate & unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies & essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end."

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will "continue to support the swift and safe delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza".

She added: "And when the time comes, we will be ready to help with recovery and reconstruction."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added that the peace deal "marks a significant breakthrough" and "a real chance to end a devastating war and release all the hostages".

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the peace deal as the first step towards a "political solution" and two-state solution. 

He said: "This agreement must mark the end of the war and the opening of a political solution based on the two-State solution. France stands ready to contribute to this objective."

He urged all parties to "strictly respect" the agreement.

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said Palestinians must run the future government in Gaza.

He told Sky News: "Israel will be clear that Hamas can’t run Gaza in the future but it shouldn’t be a permanent Israeli-run area either.

"So it has to be in the long term run by Palestinians. In the meantime something will be put together to stabilise, begin to get the rebuilding effort going, and in the long term run by the Palestinians themselves."That’s the exciting prospect here. And it’s a prospect that hasn’t existed in a long, long time."

Israel continued to bomb Gaza overnight and this morning before the first phase of the peace plan is signed at 10am UK time. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is "greatly pleased" that a deal has been agreed upon, and thanked Donald Trump for his efforts. 

He said: "I am greatly pleased that the Hamas-Israel talks... have resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza, I especially thank US President, Mr Trump, who demonstrated the necessary political will to encourage the Israeli government toward the ceasefire."

The Turkish president said he would "closely monitor the strict implementation of the agreement".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it "has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement".

It added: "As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon."

Sir Keir Starmer has described the deal as a “a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world”.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcome the peace agreement. He has urged all parties to abide by the terms, adding the "stakes have never been higher".

The first stage of the peace plan is expected to take place at 9am UK time (12pm Israel).

According to Donald Trump, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his peace deal.

He said: "ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon. Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line."

Welcome to our live blog. We will keep you updated as Donald Trump makes his announcement this morning.