Israel, Hamas agree on ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire
Al Jazeera :
US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, has said Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of the deal, which would see captives exchanged and Israel withdraw from parts of Gaza.
Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, has confirmed the development, saying an agreement has been reached on “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” of the first phase of a ceasefire plan.
Hamas said in a public statement that it has concluded an “agreement stipulating an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation’s withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement, adding in a statement: “A great day for Israel”.
Meanwhile, At least 10 Palestinians have been killed and 49 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry, as world reacts to announcement of breakthrough in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,194 people and wounded 169,890 since October 2023.
Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and about 200 were taken captive.
Ceasefire To Take Effect After Israeli Ratification; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire would take effect once the agreement is ratified by his government, which would convene after a security cabinet meeting later on Thursday.
Much could still go wrong. Even after the deal was signed, a Palestinian source said the list of Palestinians to be freed had yet to be finalised.
The group is seeking freedom for some of the most prominent Palestinian convicts held in Israeli jails as well as hundreds of people detained during Israel’s assault.
Further steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have yet even to be discussed by the sides – including how the shattered Gaza Strip is to be ruled when the fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has so far rejected Israel’s demands it disarm.
But the announcement of an end to fighting and return of hostages was greeted with jubilation in both Gaza and Israel.
‘All of the gaza strip is happy’; “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
“I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is one of the last hostages, rejoiced in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that triggered the war two years ago have gathered to demand their return.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.
An Israeli government spokeswoman, confirming the deal had been signed, said the ceasefire would go into force within 24 hours of the cabinet meeting. After that 24-hour period, the hostages held in Gaza will be freed within 72 hours, she said.
A source briefed on details of the agreement said earlier that Israeli troops would begin pulling back within 24 hours.
An Israeli official said all 20 Israeli hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza after being seized by Hamas in Israel in October 2023 would be freed within days.
Twenty-six other hostages have been declared dead in absentia, and the fate of two others is unknown. Hamas has indicated that recovering their bodies may take longer.
Trump appeared likely to head to Israel around the time the hostages are due to come home, with a note from Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office saying his agenda for Sunday had been cleared in anticipation of a visit by the U.S. leader.
With the ceasefire yet to take effect, Israeli strikes on Gaza continued, although at a slower tempo than before the talks began at the start of this week.
The Gaza health ministry said at least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours, far below the scores killed daily in recent weeks during one of the war’s biggest Israeli offensives, an all-out assault on Gaza City.
The deal received a support from Arab and Western countries and was widely portrayed as a major diplomatic achievement for Trump, who cast it as a first step towards reconciliation in the wider Middle East.
“All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” he wrote on social media.
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Western and Arab countries were meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss an international peacekeeping force and reconstruction assistance for Gaza once the fighting stops.
Netanyahu called the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel has an interest in expanding the circle of peace and normalisation in the Middle East.
But far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have long opposed any deal with Hamas. One, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said Hamas must be destroyed once the hostages are returned.
He would not vote in favour of the deal, although he stopped short of threatening to bring down the government.