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Israel and Hamas reach ceasefire agreement

Celebrations in Gaza after announcement

Source: X

US President Joe Biden has confirmed the day has “finally come”, with Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire deal that could pave the way to ending the 15-month war in Gaza.

The first stage of the three-phase agreement announced on Thursday (AEDT) will begin on January 19 and last for six weeks.

It includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

Thirty-three Israeli hostages held by Hamas are to be released in exchange for “hundreds” of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

The second stage includes the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

The third stage is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction.

Biden said the breakthrough had come as a result of “dogged” and “painstaking” American diplomacy.

“There was no other way for this war to end than with the hostage deal, and I’m deeply satisfied this day has come,” Biden said.

“For the sake of the people of Israel and the families waiting in agony and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war.”

Earlier, US president-elect Donald Trump had tried to claim credit for the “epic” breakthrough by pre-emptively announcing the ceasefire.

Before Biden had confirmed anything, Trump posted to Truth Social that the agreement could “have only happened has a result” of his election victory.

“We have achieved so much without even being in the White House,” he posted.

“I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”

Palestinians celebrated in streets across Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip — where they have faced an acute humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of food, water and fuel — as explosions from new Israeli air strikes continued.

“I am happy, yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy,” said Ghada, a displaced mother of five.

“We are being reborn. With every hour of delay Israel conducted a new massacre. I hope it is all over now.”

Families of Israeli hostages and their friends celebrated the deal in the streets of Tel Aviv.

“The Israeli government must stand by its aims to return all the hostages and ensure from Gaza there is no more threat to the state of Israel … so there won’t be other parents standing here, just like me, in one or two or three years, being interviewed about their kidnapped children,” Tzvika Mor, the father of a captive, told Israel’s Channel 12.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said final details were still unresolved, but Israel hoped “details will be finalised tonight”.

The return of the hostages may ease some of the public anger against Netanyahu and his government over the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that led to the deadliest single day in Israel’s history.

Hamas told Reuters its delegation had handed mediators its approval for the ceasefire agreement and return of hostages.

Gaza and Palestinians

Celebrations in Gaza, which has been under fire for 15 months. Photo: AAP

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called for calm in the Gaza Strip until January 19 when the ceasefire deal takes effect.

Negotiations on implementing the second phase will begin by the 16th day of phase one. It is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

The third stage is expected to address the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

The pact follows months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the backing of the US, and comes just ahead of Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

If successful, the planned phased ceasefire would halt fighting that has reduced much of heavily urbanised Gaza Strip to ruin and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

The death toll is still rising daily.

That, in turn, could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq and raised fears of all-out war between regional foes Israel and Iran.

If all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab countries and Israel must still agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a formidable challenge involving security guarantees for Israel and many billions of dollars in investment for reconstruction.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting a visit to Europe short and flying home overnight to take part in security cabinet and government votes on the deal – meaning the votes would likely be by or on Thursday.

Israeli troops invaded the Gaza Strip after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli border-area communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.

Israel’s air and ground war in the Gaza Strip has since killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gazan health ministry figures. In addition, hundreds of thousands of displaced people are struggling through the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.

“After too many months of conflict, we feel tremendous relief for the hostages, for their families and for the people of Gaza,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said.

“Let’s hope this ceasefire will put an end to the fighting and mark the beginning of a sustained peace.”

-with DPA and AP

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