Qatar and the United States announced the conclusion of an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The truce also provides for the release of hostages.
A hope for peace, after more than 15 months of a war which has left tens of thousands dead in the Palestinian territory.
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Israel and Hamas at war
Finally an agreement, after more than 15 months of war. Israel and Hamas concluded a truce on Wednesday, according to Qatar and the United States. The two countries have in fact supervised tough negotiations which, for several weeks, have taken place in Doha. What does the text contain? Joe Biden, during a press conference, revealed some details.
The outgoing president spoke of a first phase of six weeks of ceasefire, accompanied by a withdrawal of the Israeli army from densely populated areas. This delay will also result in the release of certain hostages by Hamas, including “women, the elderly and the injured“Americans will be among the hostages released as Israel sets them free.”hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners. Of 251 people kidnapped on October 7, 2023, 94 are still in Gaza, 34 of whom died according to the Israeli army.
A second phase for “a definitive end to the war”
Humanitarian aid must also increase during this first period, which must allow negotiations with a view to reaching the second phase, namely “a definitive end to the war“, indicated Joe Biden. The second phase must also allow the release of the last hostages and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. The ceasefire must last as long as discussions on the transition from the first to the second phase continue. , therefore even if they last more than six weeks, assured the outgoing American president.
The third and final phase must be devoted to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory, as well as the restitution of the bodies of hostages killed during their captivity.
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The unprecedented Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data. At least 46,707 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli military campaign of retaliation in the Gaza Strip, according to data from the Hamas government’s Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the United Nations.
