A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza yesterday, the Israeli military said, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal to pause the fighting and exchange the remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout yesterday morning, but no significant bombardment was reported after.
The ceasefire is a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, destabilized the Middle East, and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in the territory.
Photo: Reuters
Still, the broader plan advanced by US President Donald Trump includes many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas would disarm and who would govern Gaza.
A brief statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early yesterday said the Israeli Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.
Israeli troops have begun to withdraw to agreed-upon deployment lines, the military said.
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control about 50 percent of Gaza in their new positions.
Senior Hamas official and lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayyas gave a speech on Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.
Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails would also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
A list published yesterday by Israel of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the deal did not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure. Israel views some others as terrorist masterminds who murdered Israeli civilians and has refused to release them in past exchanges.
The Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, al-Hayya said, adding that Hamas and other Palestinian factions would now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.
To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, US officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.
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