Israel, Hamas ceasefire followed by Gaza airstrikes, residents say Reuters

By Andrew Mills, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell

DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has stepped up strikes in Gaza hours after a ceasefire and prisoner release was announced, residents and Palestinian state officials said, and advocates sought ending the war before the start of the war on Sunday.

A complex ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after months of negotiations by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal enclave. and burning the Middle East.

The agreement proposes a six-week ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages captured by Hamas would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

At a press conference held in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would begin on Sunday. The brokers are working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the deal, he said.

“This agreement will end the war in Gaza, provide much-needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” United States President Joe Biden said. Washington.

His successor, Donald Trump, takes office on Monday and claims to have made major gains in Gaza.

Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not take effect until it is approved by the national security cabinet and the government, with votes scheduled for Thursday, an Israeli official said.

The deal was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hard-liners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.

As people celebrated Gaza’s truce with Israel, the Israeli army increased its attacks after the announcement, the public emergency service and residents said.

Heavy Israeli bombardment, mainly in Gaza City, killed 32 people late Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued on Thursday and damaged homes in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment and there were no reports of Hamas attacks on Israel following the ceasefire announcement.

A Palestinian official close to the ceasefire talks says the mediators want to persuade both sides to stop fighting before the ceasefire.

HAPPY GAZA

On social media, some residents of Gaza have urged Palestinians to be more cautious in the belief that Israel may increase attacks in the next few days to increase leverage before the ceasefire.

However, news of the cease-fire agreement caused much excitement in Gaza, where Palestinians face severe shortages of food, water, shelter and fuel. In Khan Younis, crowds blocked the streets to the sound of horns as they cheered, waved Palestinian flags and danced.

“I’m happy. Yes, I’m crying, but those are happy tears,” said Ghada, a mother of five.

In Tel Aviv, the families of the Israeli hostages and their friends alike welcomed the news, saying in a statement that they felt “great joy and relief (about) the agreement to bring our loved ones home.”

In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the deal “a breakthrough for our people” and “revolution.”

If successful, the cease-fire would end a war that has ravaged much of urban Gaza, killed more than 46,000 people and displaced most of the war’s 2.3 million pre-war residents, according to Gaza officials.

That could ease tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has fueled tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of a major war between the regional rivals. of Israel and Iran.

Since there are 98 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, the first phase of the deal includes the release of 33 of them, including all women, children and men over the age of 50. The two American hostages, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, were among those to be released. the first phase, the source said.

FOOD IS TAKEN ON THE BORDER OF GAZA

The agreement calls for an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross say they are preparing to increase their aid operations.

“The ceasefire is the beginning – not the end. We have food that has been put on the Gaza border – and we need to be able to deliver it in quantity,” said Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, in X.

The global response to the ceasefire was enthusiastic. Leaders and officials from Egypt, Turkey, Britain, the United Nations, the European Union, Jordan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, among others, celebrated the news.

Both Biden and Trump protested the deal, which was months in the making, but they were helped by Trump’s ambassador.

Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was in Qatar along with White House officials for the talks, and a senior Biden administration official said Witkoff’s presence was essential to reaching an agreement after 96 hours of intense negotiations. .

Biden said the two groups were “talking like one”.

The families of the Israeli hostages have expressed concern that the agreement may not be fully implemented and some hostages may remain behind in Gaza.

Negotiations on the implementation of the second phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the first phase, and this phase was expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The third phase is to deal with the return of all the remaining bodies and start the reconstruction of Gaza controlled by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

If all goes well, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel still have to agree on a vision for Gaza after the war, including the unanswered question of who will run Gaza after the war .

Israeli forces attacked Gaza after gunmen led by Hamas entered Israeli border towns in Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and kidnapping more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.