After 15 months of intense conflict in Gaza, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, including the release of three Israeli hostages on Sunday, finally came into force with a delay of nearly three hours.
The delay in the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas was due to the absence of the list of hostages to be released, which Hamas did not provide before 06:30 GMT, the scheduled time for the implementation of the agreement. This took place just before Donald Trump returned to the White House.
This agreement, signed on Wednesday, raises hopes of lasting peace for the Palestinian territory. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that his army could resume hostilities if necessary.
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Thousands of displaced people return home
Even before the truce was implemented, thousands of displaced Palestinians took to the roads to return to their homes, crossing the devastated areas of northern and southern Gaza. Some, smiling, made the V for victory, while others waved the Palestinian flag or distributed sweets.
In Jabalia, northern Gaza, residents discovered a landscape of destruction after months of Israeli military operations. Although the guns were due to fall silent at 06:30 GMT, Israel delayed implementing the truce due to Hamas’ delay, and carried out new strikes that killed eight people, according to local Civil Defense.
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Publication of the list of hostages and start of the truce
After this delay, Hamas published the list of three Israeli women who were to be released that day. This delay was justified by “complications on the ground and the continuation of the bombings”. The truce finally began at 09:15 GMT, according to the announcement from Netanyahu’s office, and was confirmed by the Qatari mediator.
According to the mediator, the list of hostages to be released includes three Israeli women, one of whom also has Romanian nationality and the other British nationality. The agreement, negotiated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, aims to definitively end the war, which began with the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. However, Netanyahu clarified that it was of a temporary ceasefire, and that Israel reserved the right to resume fighting if necessary, with the support of the United States.
The far-right party of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir expressed opposition to the truce and left Netanyahu’s coalition, although Netanyahu retained a majority in parliament.
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-Hostage release and prisoner exchanges
The agreement provides for the release of 33 Israeli hostages and 737 Palestinian prisoners initially, over a period of six weeks. Three reception points were set up to receive the Israeli hostages. Israel designated 95 Palestinian detainees for release on Sunday, mainly women and minors.
US President Joe Biden indicated that this first phase of the agreement also included an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas in Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid, in a territory threatened by famine. The agreement provides for the entry of 600 aid trucks per day.
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Prospects for future negotiations
During the first phase, the modalities of the second phase, which will concern the release of the last hostages, will be negotiated. The third phase, for its part, will focus on the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of the bodies of hostages who died in captivity.
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 caused the deaths of 1,210 people in Israel, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP count. Of 251 people kidnapped that day, 94 remain hostages in Gaza, of whom 34 have died, according to the Israeli army.
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Mass destruction in Gaza
The Israeli offensive has led to the deaths of at least 46,899 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to official data from the Hamas Ministry of Health, validated by the UN.
Although Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, is seriously weakened, it remains far from being wiped out, which contrasts with the goal set by Benjamin Netanyahu, according to experts.
(With AFP)
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