Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza overnight on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least 70 people, according to residents and authorities in the region. This occurred shortly after a ceasefire and hostage release agreement was announced to end a 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., is set to be implemented starting Sunday. It involves a six-week initial ceasefire, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
Although the deal was expected to be supported by the majority of Israeli ministers, there were dissenting voices within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Some hardliners expressed opposition and called for a continuation of the conflict until Hamas is defeated. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza urged for a quicker implementation of the truce as ongoing attacks continued to claim lives and destroy homes.
Despite the challenges and delays, negotiators are working on the necessary steps to put the agreement into effect. The United States, along with other mediators, hailed the deal as a crucial step towards peace and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. With the looming change in U.S. leadership, President Joe Biden emphasized the significance of the ceasefire in Gaza, while his predecessor, Donald Trump, claimed credit for the breakthrough.
As the region braces for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, both Israelis and Palestinians grapple with the complexities and potential implications of the deal, including the release of Palestinian militants serving life sentences in Israel. However, the broad public support for the agreement underscores the hope for a lasting resolution to the conflict.
“Order to continue surviving as a state and as a nation, knowing that we will do anything to save each other,” said Jerusalem resident Chava Treitel.
Israel secured major gains over Iran and its proxies, mainly Hezbollah, as the Gaza conflict spread. In Gaza, Hamas may have been crippled, but without an alternative administration in place, it has been left standing.
If successful, the ceasefire will halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million, according to Gaza authorities. That, in turn, could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.
With 98 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 of them, including all women, children, and men over 50.
FOOD LINED UP AT GAZA’S BORDERS
The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they were preparing to scale up their aid operations.
Global reaction to the ceasefire was enthusiastic. Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen burst into Israeli border-area communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal will begin by the 16th day of phase one, and this stage was expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third stage is to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations. (Reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, and Nayera Abdallah in Dubai; additional reporting by James Mackenzie and Emily Rose and Howard Goller and Ramadan Abed; Writing by Cynthia Osterman and Michael Georgy; Editing by Stephen Coates and Sharon Singleton)
