Israelis and Palestinians rejoiced on Thursday after a ceasefire and hostage deal was announced, under the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza which has killed tens of thousands and reshaped the Middle East.
The enemies publicly endorsed the deal and had been expected to sign it around noon in the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh (0900 GMT).
A senior Hamas official told Reuters both sides had signed the deal but Israel did not confirm this. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Gaza ceasefire would take effect only when ratified by the Israeli government, which would convene after a security cabinet meeting scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Residents in Gaza reported a series of airstrikes on Gaza City around the time it was due to be signed.
Ceasefire, withdrawal and release of hostages
Under the deal, the biggest step towards peace yet, fighting will cease, Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza and Hamas will free hostages it captured in the attack that precipitated the war, in exchange for prisoners held by Israel.
A source briefed on details of the agreement said Israeli troops would begin pulling back within 24 hours of the deal being signed.
The release of all 20 Israeli hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza is expected on Sunday or Monday, an Israeli official said. Another 26 hostages have been declared dead in absentia and the fate of two is unknown. Hamas has indicated it may take time to recover bodies scattered across Gaza.
Palestinians and the families of Israeli hostages broke into wild celebrations after news emerged of the pact.
In Gaza, where most of the more than 2 million population have been displaced by Israeli bombing, young men applauded in the devastated streets, even as Israeli strikes continued.
‘All of the Gaza Strip is happy’
“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is one of the last hostages, rejoiced in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand their return.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.
“What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him,” she said. “Just tell him that I love him, that’s it. And to see his eyes sink into mine … It’s overwhelming — this is the relief.”
Still, Gaza residents said Israeli strikes on three Gaza City suburbs continued overnight and on Thursday morning, residents said.
The Gaza health ministry said at least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours, a lower toll than typical in recent weeks as Israel carried out one of its biggest offensives of the war, an all-out assault on Gaza City.
Major achievement for Trump
The agreement was reached just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered the war, and is the first phase of a 20-point framework put forward by Trump.
The deal received a chorus of support from Arab and Western countries and was widely portrayed as a major diplomatic achievement for the U.S. president, who cast it as a first step towards reconciliation in the wider Middle East.
“All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” he wrote on social media. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Western and Arab countries were meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss an international peacekeeping force and reconstruction assistance for Gaza once the fighting stops.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his country would help monitor implementation of the ceasefire.
But the agreement still left many issues unresolved, including plans to govern Gaza after the war and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has so far rejected Israel’s demands that it give up its weapons.
Netanyahu called the deal “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel has an interest in expanding the circle of peace and normalisation in the Middle East.
But far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have
long opposed any deal with Hamas. One, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said Hamas must be destroyed once the hostages are returned. He would not vote in favour of the deal, although he stopped short of threatening to bring down the government.
Aftermath of the Gaza war
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led militants stormed through Israeli towns and a music festival on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
In parallel with the assault on Gaza, Israel’s military has waged campaigns that have tipped the regional balance of power, crushing Hezbollah in Lebanon and launching a 12-day war against Iran. But global outrage has mounted against Israel’s assault, leaving it internationally isolated.
The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body led by Trump, and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration.
Arab countries say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.
Also read: Kombos: welcomes the announcement on the Gaza ceasefire deal
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