Trump announces deal reached for hostages in Gaza

WASHINGTON

US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a deal has been reached for hostages in Gaza amid reports that Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire deal.

“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Earlier, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that it has officially responded to a proposed cease-fire agreement with Israel.

In a statement, the group said: “Hamas leadership has just delivered its response to the cease-fire proposal to the mediators (Egypt and Qatar).”

The announcement followed an emergency meeting of Hamas’s political bureau to discuss the mediators’ proposal, the statement added.