Gaza ceasefire begins today after 15 months of war
• Mediator Egypt says Israel to release over 1,890 Palestinians, Hamas 33 prisoners in first phase
• PA completes preparations ‘to assume full responsibility’ in the enclave
• Netanyahu warns Tel Aviv reserves ‘right to resume war’
• Israeli strike kills five members of a family
JERUSALEM: A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin on Sunday morning, mediator Qatar said after Israel’s cabinet voted to approve the truce and prisoner release deal.
Since Qatar and the United States, which mediated the deal along with Egypt, announced the agreement on Wednesday, Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued.
On Saturday, Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency said at least five members of a family were killed when a strike hit their tent in Khan Yunis.
Explosions were heard in Jerusalem after air raid sirens blared and the military said a projectile had been launched from Yemen, whose Houthi fighters say they support the Palestinians.
The Houthis said they targeted the Israeli defence ministry, before air raid sirens sounded again in southern Israel in the afternoon and the military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
“As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30am (0630 GMT) on Sunday,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
In more than 15 months of the conflict, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of prisoners from both sides.
The government had approved the prisoner return plan, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the cabinet vote. It said the deal “supports achieving the objectives of the war”.
But Hamas said Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” and “only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel reserves the right to resume fighting in Gaza with US support, as he pledged to bring home all prisoners held in the Palestinian territory.
“We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement.
He said the 42-day first phase, which starts on Sunday, was a “temporary ceasefire”. “If we are forced to resume the war, we will do so with force,” Netanyahu said.
Mediator Egypt said that Israel is to release more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israelis in the first phase of the truce.
The foreign ministry said the prisoners would be freed during the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire.
However, Israel’s justice ministry said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed as part of the deal’s first phase — none before 4pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 prisoners released by Hamas in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed told Sky News that the framework signed this week was the same as one agreed on Dec 23, adding that it amounted to “13 months of a waste of negotiating details”.
Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their residences”, the Qatari prime minister said.
An Israeli military official said reception points had been established at Kerem Shalom, Erez and Reim, where prisoners would be joined by doctors and mental health specialists before being “transported via helicopter or vehicle” to hospitals in Israel.
Israel “is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences”, a source said on condition of anonymity.
PA control in Gaza
The truce is to take effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term as US president.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has completed preparations “to assume full responsibility in Gaza” after the war.
Israel has expressed no definitive stance on post-war governance beyond rejecting any role for either Hamas or the PA.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Gaza should be under PA control.
Ahead of the truce, displaced people of Gaza prepared to return home.
“I will go to kiss my land,” said Nasr al-Gharabli, who fled his home in Gaza City for a camp further south. “If I die on my land, it would be better than being here as a displaced person.”
Jerusalem residents said the deal had been a long time coming. Hopefully a maximum amount of prisoners will be coming back, said Beeri Yemeni, a university student. “Maybe this is the beginning of (the) end of suffering for both sides, hopefully,” he said, adding that “the war needed to end like a long time ago.”
Israel’s cabinet endorsement of the deal came despite eight ministers voting against it, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025