According to several officials, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday to halt the catastrophic conflict in the Gaza Strip, potentially bringing an end to the bloodiest and most damaging battles between the fierce rivals.
Following weeks of arduous negotiations in the capital of Qatar, the agreement calls for the gradual release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Gaza residents to what is left of their homes, and the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas. Additionally, it would flood a region devastated by 15 months of war with much-needed humanitarian relief.
While the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that final details were still being worked out, three U.S. officials and one from Hamas acknowledged that an agreement had been reached.
Prior to the formal announcement by mediators in Doha, the three U.S. officials and the Hamas official asked to remain anonymous in order to negotiate the terms of the agreement.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s administration expressed the expectation that the specifics will be settled tonight. Netanyahu’s Cabinet must ratify any arrangement.
When the agreement is formally announced, it is anticipated to bring about a six-week first halt to hostilities, which will be followed by the start of talks to end the war completely.
After months in captivity with no communication with the outside world, 33 of the roughly 100 hostages are scheduled to be reunited with their loved ones over the course of six weeks, though it’s unclear if all are still alive.
It was still unclear whether the agreement would result in the full departure of Israeli troops from Gaza and the end of the conflict, which were two of Hamas’s main conditions for the release of the remaining prisoners, as well as when and how many displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to what was left of their homes.
There are still a lot of long-term issues surrounding Gaza after the war, such as who will govern the region or manage the difficult process of rehabilitation following a bloody conflict that has rocked the Middle East and provoked demonstrations around the world.
Hamas’ cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed almost 1,200 Israelis and captured 250 more, set off the conflict. In response, Israel launched a brutal offensive that has caused a humanitarian crisis, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population, and killed approximately 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health experts.
In November 2023, a week-long truce in Gaza resulted in the release of over 100 hostages.
This latest agreement is the result of months of informal negotiations between the bitter rivals, which were mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. Following more than a year of fighting connected to the war in Gaza, Israel and the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement in November.
Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s ruthless air and ground offensive in response, according to local health professionals. They claim that over half of the dead are women and children, but they do not differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
According to estimates from the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been uprooted, frequently more than once. They claim that hospitals are hardly operating and that tens of thousands of homes have been damaged. In northern Gaza, where Israel began a massive offensive in early October, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee, experts have warned that hunger may be on the horizon.
The happiest day of my life and the lives of Gazans, Abed Radwan, a father of three Palestinian children, spoke about the ceasefire agreement. I’m grateful. I’m grateful.
Radwan, who has taken refuge in Gaza City after being displaced from the town of Beit Lahiya for more than a year, stated that he will attempt to go back to his hometown and rehabilitate both Beit Lahiya and his home.
He had a phone conversation with AP. Celebrations have drowned out his voice. Here, people are crying. They don’t think it’s real.
Hundreds of protesters in Israel gathered outside the country’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding that a deal be finalized. Some put candles in the air, while others held posters of Hamas hostages.
Some people were not aware that the sale had been completed when it was announced. Sharone Lifschitz, whose father Oded is in captivity in Gaza, told the AP over the phone that she was happy and in awe but that she wouldn’t believe it until all of the hostages returned home.
If my father has somehow survived, I’m dying to see them,” she remarked.
The three-phase ceasefire agreement was unveiled on May 31 by U.S. President Joe Biden, who has given Israel vital military assistance but has voiced frustration about civilian deaths. In the end, it was decided to adhere to that framework.
In exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, he said, the first phase would last six weeks and include a complete ceasefire, the evacuation of Israeli forces from heavily populated areas of Gaza, and the release of several hostages, including women, elderly people, and wounded individuals. Hundreds of trucks would enter Gaza every day as humanitarian aid increased.
Israeli forces would leave Gaza during the second and most challenging phase, which would involve the release of all surviving hostages, including male soldiers. The third phase calls for the beginning of a significant reconstruction effort in Gaza, which will require decades to recover from the war’s devastation.
Hamas had been calling for guarantees that the battle would cease permanently and that all Israeli forces would leave Gaza. Israel, on the other hand, has stated time and time again that it will not end the conflict until Hamas’ military and political powers are destroyed.
The several parties have engaged in intermittent negotiations for months. However, there had been a lot of pressure on both sides to reach an agreement because Biden’s time in office was running out and Donald Trump was expected to become president.
Trump wrote, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” on his Truth Social social media account to celebrate the soon-to-be-announced agreement. THEY WILL QUICKLY BE AVAILABLE. I’m grateful.
Iran and its supporters throughout the region, including Hamas, suffered significant setbacks with the toppling of President Bashar Assad in Syria and the adoption of a truce by Hezbollah in Lebanon after it had been severely beaten.
The civilian toll has drawn harsh international criticism, especially from the United States, Israel’s closest friend. Israel claims to have killed some 17,000 militants, but it hasn’t offered any supporting documentation. Additionally, it holds Hamas accountable for the civilian deaths, alleging that the organization has been using residential areas, schools, and hospitals for military objectives.
South Africa’s claims that Israel has committed genocide are being looked into by the International Court of Justice. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister, and a Hamas leader have all been given arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court, a distinct court with its headquarters in The Hague, for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict.
The actions of both courts have been denounced by the United States and Israel.
Additionally, Netanyahu was under intense political pressure to return the captives, whose predicament has drawn national attention. Because of months of large-scale demonstrations calling on the government to make a compromise with Hamas, their families have grown into a strong lobbying organization with widespread public backing.
Of the approximately 100 persons still in captivity, Israeli authorities have already determined that over one-third are dead, and there are concerns that more may be dead. The Israeli leader was under further strain when Hamas published a series of videos depicting surviving hostages in anguish and the revelation that an increasing number of Israelis who had been kidnapped had perished.
Israeli military actions, such as the invasion of Gaza’s biggest cities and villages and the seizure of the border between Gaza and Egypt, have put tremendous pressure on Hamas, a militant organization that rejects Israel’s existence. Its top leaders have been slain, including Yahya Sinwar, who was thought to have assisted in planning the attack on October 7, 2023.
But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.
Netanyahu has pledged to keep the war going until Hamas’s governmental and military capacities are eliminated. But it has never been clear what that would entail or if it s even possible, given the group s deep roots in Palestinian society, its presence in Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, and its exiled leadership.
Both parties have a lot of challenging and unsolved questions whether the truce is successful.
Netanyahu will be subject to mounting demands for postwar probes as the conflict comes to an end, which may hold him at least partially accountable for the biggest security lapses in Israel’s history on October 7. A ceasefire agreement was opposed by his far-right ruling allies, who might also topple the government and force early elections.
Who will run Gaza after the conflict is still up in the air. Israel has stated that it will cooperate with Palestinians in the area who are not members of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which is supported by the West. Hamas has warned anyone who collaborates with Israeli forces, but it is unknown whether such collaborators actually exist.
The United States has tried to advance sweeping postwar plans for a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza with Arab and international assistance. As part of those plans, the U.S. hope Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel in return for U.S. security guarantees and aid in setting up a civilian nuclear program.
But those plans depend on credible progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu and much of Israel s political class oppose. Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war that the Palestinians want for their future state.
In the absence of a postwar arrangement with Palestinian support, Hamas is likely to remain a significant force in Gaza and could reconstitute its military capabilities if Israeli forces fully withdraw.
