The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
It paves the way for a surge in humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the majority of the population has been displaced, facing hunger, sickness and cold. Rows of aid trucks were lined up in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish waiting to cross into Gaza, once the border is reopened.
Peace could also have wider benefits across the Middle East, from heading off war between Israel and Iran to ending disruption to global trade from Yemen’s Houthi movement which has attacked ships in the Red Sea.
Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the security cabinet and government. A vote had been slated for Thursday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the meeting, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands.
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“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Hardliners in Netanyahu’s government were still hoping to stop the deal, though a majority of ministers were expected to back it. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s party said its condition for remaining in the government would be a return to fighting at the end of the truce’s first phase. Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also threatened to quit.
In Jerusalem, some Israelis marched through the streets carrying mock coffins in protest at the ceasefire, blocking roads and scuffling with police.
Activists in Jerusalem representing families of Israelis killed during the war in Gaza carry mock coffins covered with Israeli flags meant to symbolise the price Israel will pay for agreeing to a ceasefire with Hamas.Credit: AP
Calls for faster implementation
Palestinians who rejoiced at the deal’s announcement were desperate for the bombing to stop as soon as possible.
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“We lose homes every hour. We demand for this joy not to go away, the joy that was drawn on our faces – don’t waste it by delaying the implementation of the truce until Sunday,” Gazan man Mahmoud Abu Wardeh said.
The day after the truce announcement saw some of the most intense Israeli bombardment for months. Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 81 people had been killed over the previous 24 hours and about 188 injured. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said at least 77 of those were killed since the ceasefire announcement.
An Israeli military spokesperson said the military was looking into the reports.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen burst into Israeli border-area communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
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If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanised Gaza, killed more than 46,000 people, and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million, according to Gaza authorities.
The first phase would see the release of 33 hostages from among around 98 still in Gaza – alive and dead. Israel would free around 1000 Palestinian detainees.
Reuters
