Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he spoke to US President Donald Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic peace plan that forms the roadmap to reach a truce between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to end the 2-year-long Gaza war. The PM also said that New Delhi and Washington are reviewing the trade talks between the two countries that took a hit amid the ongoing tariff tussle.
"Spoke to my friend, President Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. Also reviewed the good progress achieved in trade negotiations. Agreed to stay in close touch over the coming weeks," PM Mod wrote on X, tagging the official handles of the President of the United States (POTUS) and Donald Trump in his post.
The PM's latest social media post came hours after he welcomed Trump’s announcement of Israel and Hamas agreeing to the first phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan, calling it a "reflection of the strong leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu".
In a post on X, PM Modi expressed hope that the release of hostages and increased humanitarian assistance would bring relief to the people of Gaza and pave the way for lasting peace.
Just hours before that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a US-brokered peace plan to pause fighting in Gaza and release hostages and prisoners, Trump announced on Thursday, ending the war in the Palestinian enclave.
The agreement was reached just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, as indirect talks in Egypt produced a breakthrough on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point peace framework. Negotiators from the United States, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar have been working on the framework of Trump’s proposed hostages-for-ceasefire deal.
In the first phase, hostage release and withdrawal of the Israel Defence Forces to a pre-determined line have to take place. All living Israeli hostages, believed to be 20 in number, will be released by Hamas. The process is expected to start on Monday. An estimated 48 Israeli hostages are still held captive in Gaza.
Of the 251 hostages who were taken into Gaza by Hamas two years ago, 148 were either freed as part of previous ceasefire agreements or rescued by Israeli forces, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The bodies of another 57 hostages were returned or recovered.
After their release, Israeli forces will pull back to positions along the yellow line, withdrawing from Gaza City and the Netzarim corridor but retaining control over roughly 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
Israel will also release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, along with approximately 1,700 other Gazans detained since the start of the war, as per the peace plan released by the White House.
The India-US trade talks launched to find a common ground between the two nations to take economic ties further ahead hit a roadblock after Trump's tariff salvo. The US President imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, which came into effect on August 27. PM Modi said that the two countries were reviewing the talks now.
Last month, trade negotiations restarted in New York, where India’s trade team, led by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal, met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The early impressions are encouraging: sources say the talks are "going well," and both sides appear "committed to moving past irritants".
This meeting follows earlier discussions in New Delhi between US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch and Indian officials, where both sides pledged to fast-track the process.
The trade talks had stalled in August 2025, after the US imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying crude from Russia, raising the total duty on Indian exports to the US up to 50 per cent.
Ahead of the restarted talks, reports indicated that Goyal is likely to visit Washington, aiming to finalise a bilateral trade agreement (BTA).
