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Ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas brings joy on both sides

Donald Trump claims credit as Hamas agrees to release hostages in exchange for hundreds of prisoners after Qatar and US broker deal to end war in Gaza

Family members, friends and supporters of the Israeli hostages still in Gaza celebrate in Tel Aviv ABIR SULTAN/EPA

Family members, friends and supporters of the Israeli hostages still in Gaza celebrate in Tel Aviv ABIR SULTAN/EPA

Israel and Hamas agreed to end 15 months of conflict in Gaza, at least until the remaining Israeli hostages are released in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

A deal, which was held up by last-minute arguments about the extent of the Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, was confirmed by the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at a news conference in Doha on Wednesday. It will come into force on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed had spent hours urging Hamas representatives to ­accept the deal, mirroring American pressure over the weekend on Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu insisted that some problems remained to be ironed out.

 

Palestinians celebrating a hostage deal announcement in Gaza.
Palestinians in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, celebrated in the street after the ceasefire was announced. GETTY IMAGES

 

Under the deal, 33 hostages, ­including all surviving captive women, ­children andmen over the age of 50, will be freed in the coming seven weeks. In return, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners at a ratio reported to be 30 for every civilian and 50 for each female soldier.

In a second phase of the ceasefire, the remaining hostages, thought to number between 30 and 40, are to be freed in exchange for more Palestinian ­prisoners as negotiations continue for the third phase.

The released Palestinians will include­ a number of people convicted of terrorist crimes, including murder, but also women and children, many of them arrested since the events of ­October 7, 2023, who have never been charged with a crime. 

The third stage is supposed to bring agreement on a reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the bodies of hostages who have died or been killed.

 

Protest in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner swap.
Protesters continued to put pressure on Binyamin Netanyahu. The families of the hostages have become a powerful pressure group in Israel
GETTY IMAGES
 
 
 
Protestors holding signs with photos of hostages and torches, demanding their release.
EPA
 
 
 
Billboard displaying photos of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
A billboard in Jerusalem with photographs of the hostages. ALAMY
 
 

The deal will mean at least a temporary end to Israel’s invasion and bombardment of Gaza, which has led to the deaths of an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Hamas fighters and tens of thousands of civilian men, women and children.

It was welcomed by the families of some of the hostages, who have become a powerful voice in Israeli society, often challenging the prime minister for his reluctance to strike a deal with Hamas. But they also expressed caution and fears that, if the deal breaks down, scores of their loved ones will be left in Hamas captivity.

Netanyahu will chair a cabinet ­meeting on Thursday morning at which the deal is expected to be ratified, in the face of opposition from his most hardline ­minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir and another minister, Bezalel Smotrich, both want the war to be ­resumed sooner or later until Hamas is eradicated.

 

Palestinians walk past rubble in Gaza City.
Gaza, which has suffered devastation and severe shortages of food and other supplies, is to be rebuilt in the third phase of the ceasefire
REUTERS
 
 
 
Palestinians crowd around a food distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, holding out pots and containers.
AP
 

Donald Trump, the US president-elect, claimed credit. He had demanded that the hostages be returned by the time he is inaugurated on Monday or, he said, “all hell would break out”. He had sent his choice of Middle East envoy, Steve ­Witkoff, to Qatar and Israel last Friday to put pressure on all sides, and particularly on Netanyahu.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signalled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. 

• Binjamin Netanyahu bows to pressure from Trump

President Biden said that the deal ­followed the “precise contours” of his peace proposal from May last year.

In Gaza, chanting crowds gathered to celebrate and take photographs of themselves in front of the rubble that is all that remains of much of the terri­tory’s towns and villages.

Hamas made no formal comment, but statements by its officials made clear they regarded its survival as a victory of sorts. Its effective leader on the ground is believed to be Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza leader who was killed in the fighting in October.

For many on both sides, however, it was a bittersweet moment. Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat, 40, was killed in August by Hamas when Israeli troops staged an attempt to rescue her and five other Israeli captives, said he welcomed the deal but was afraid that the secondary stages might fail and some hostages would be left behind.

“It’s very exciting to see that finally ­hostages are going to come home,” he told The Times. “It’s also really sad to know that Carmel could have and should have been among them, but a deal didn’t come in time.”

Author: Richard Spencer | Samer Al-Atrush, Middle East correspondent

Source: The Sunday Times

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