Netanyahu thanked Trump for 'his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages'

Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump for his help in advancing the ceasefire agreement and hostage release in the Gaza Strip. The office of the Prime Minister of Israel expressed on its X account, where it also specified that the two leaders plan to meet in the coming days, possibly with Trump already as the new president of the United States.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this evening with US President-elect Donald Trump and thanked him for his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages and for helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families," the post on the aforementioned social media outlet read. 

"The prime minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism" the post concluded.

It is unclear whether Netanyahu will attend Trump's inauguration on January 20, to which the following foreign leaders were invited: Javier Milei, Nayib Bukele, Giorgia Meloni and Xi Jinping, among others.

"We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly," the president-elect wrote on his Truth Social account Wednesday afternoon.

"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones," Trump added in a separate release.

Following Trump's remarks, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani officially announced during a press conference the agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, which he said will begin to be implemented on Sunday.

Al Tahani thanked Egypt and the United States for the efforts that contributed to the progress of the negotiations. He added that talks will continue to complete the operational aspects of the treaty.

Two Americans, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, will be among the first to be released

In the hours following the agreement, CNN reported Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen are on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of the Israel-Hamas deal.

In total, the deal includes three different stages and is expected to go into effect on Sunday, January 19, just hours before Trump's inauguration.