Israel, Hamas agree Gaza ceasefire deal
DOHA, 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
Israel and Palestinian group Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following 15 months of war, according to mediators Qatar and the US.
Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani announced that the joint mediation efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the US had secured the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, he said the deal will take effect on Sunday (Jan 19). According to this deal, Hamas will release 33 hostages, in exchange of Palestinian prisoners, with both negotiating parties agreeing to continue working to complete the implementation details, said a Qatar News Agnecy report.
US President Joe Biden said it would "halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal's final details were still being worked on, but he thanked Biden for "promoting" it. Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said it was the result of Palestinian "resilience".
Many Palestinians and Israeli hostages' families celebrated the news, but there was no let up in the war on the ground in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed explained that the Gaza ceasefire deal stipulates the exchange of prisoners and hostages and the restoration of sustainable calm, ultimately achieving a permanent ceasefire between the two parties. The deal also includes intensifying the safe and effective entry and distribution of humanitarian aid on a large scale throughout the Gaza Strip, the rehabilitation of hospitals, health centers, and bakeries, as well as the entry of civil defense supplies and fuel, and bringing in shelter supplies for displaced persons who lost their homes due to the war.
He noted that, under this deal, Hamas will release 33 Israeli detainees in the first phase, including civilian women, female soldiers, children, the elderly, and sick and wounded civilians. In exchange, a number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and detention centres will be released.
He added that the details of the second and third phases will be finalised during the implementation of the first phase.
Qatar stressed the necessity for both parties to fully adhere to the terms of the agreement across its three phases, in order to safeguard civilian lives, spare the region from the consequences of this conflict, and lay the groundwork for a just and lasting peace, Sheikh Mohammed said.
He affirmed that Qatar will continue to support the Palestinian people with direct care and close follow-up from HH the Amir. He expressed relief at the deal achieved today and hoped it would mark the end of the war. He also emphasised his hope that all parties would fully commit to implementing the provisions of the agreement and continue the necessary procedures as stipulated.
The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported Israeli air strikes killed more than 20 people following the Qatari announcement. They included 12 people who were living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, it said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas - which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and others - in response to a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Most of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to a struggle to get aid to those in need.
Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.
