Qatar and the United States announced Wednesday the conclusion of an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages, after more than 15 months of a war between Israel and Hamas which caused tens of thousands of deaths in the Palestinian territory. “The agreement will enter into force on Sunday January 19”, specified the Prime Minister of Qatar according to which “a monitoring mechanism will be put in place, managed by Egypt, Qatar and the United States” and “based Cairo”.
The “final details” of the truce and hostage exchange agreement in Gaza are still being finalized, according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. The Israeli government must still give the green light this Thursday.
Information to remember
⇒ Israel accuses Hamas of calling into question “certain points” of the agreement
⇒ There is “no certainty” about the fate of the two Franco-Israeli hostages still detained in the Gaza Strip
⇒ The Civil Defense of the Gaza Strip reports seven deaths in two Israeli strikes this Thursday
Israel accuses Hamas of calling into question “certain points” of the agreement
The Israeli authorities accused Hamas this Thursday morning of provoking “a last minute crisis” by going back on certain points of the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, announced the day before by the Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators.
“Hamas is going back on certain points of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an attempt to extort last-minute concessions,” said a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The Israeli security cabinet will not meet (to approve the agreement) until the mediators have notified Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” the text adds.
“No certainty” about the fate of the two Franco-Israeli hostages
The head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot indicated this Thursday on RTL that there was “no certainty” about the fate of the two Franco-Israeli hostages still detained in the Gaza Strip, Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi . “For too many months, we have not heard from them […] We very much hope that they can return to us alive and in good health,” declared Jean-Noël Barrot.
During the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, “48 of our compatriots lost their lives, eight were taken hostage, two of them unfortunately died, four of us returned, including the children of Ofer and Ohad, and it is now these two hostages whose return we are awaiting,” recalled the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We have no certainty, no news” about their fate, “except the testimonies of those who returned from the hell of Gaza,” he said.
Many international reactions
Reactions from the international community have abounded since the announcement of an agreement between the Jewish state and Hamas. Emmanuel Macron thus affirmed on the social network “After fifteen months of unjustifiable ordeal, immense relief for the Gazans, hope for the hostages and their families. This evening, my thoughts are with Ofer and Ohad (Editor’s note: the two Franco-Israeli hostages still detained in the Gaza Strip)” , he declared. “The agreement must be respected. The hostages, released. The Gazans, rescued. A political solution must come,” he said.
In the United States, outgoing American President Joe Biden said he was “delighted” with the future release of hostages in Gaza, provided for by the agreement concluded between Israel and Hamas. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office at the White House on Monday, has assured that he will not let the Gaza Strip “become a haven for terrorists again.”
This Thursday, China expressed “the hope that this agreement will be implemented effectively and that it opens the way to a complete and permanent ceasefire”, while in Iran the Revolutionary Guards hailed the ceasefire as a “clear victory” for the Palestinians and a “defeat” for Israel, described as a “monstrous Zionist regime”.
Seven dead in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza
The Civil Defense of the Gaza Strip reported seven deaths in two Israeli strikes this Thursday morning, a few hours after the announcement of a truce to come into force on Sunday between Hamas and Israel. The bombing of a house in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City left five people dead and more than 10 injured, Civil Defense said in a statement. In the center of the same city, two people died in a strike targeting a building, added the same source. On Wednesday evening, Civil Defense reported 20 deaths in Israeli strikes in three separate strikes after the announcement by Qatar and the United States of an agreement for a ceasefire in the territory.
Thousands of Palestinians celebrate in Gaza
Thousands of Palestinians rejoiced Wednesday evening across the Gaza Strip at the news of the announcement of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas. In Deir el-Balah, in the center of the small territory, hundreds of people quickly showed their joy in front of the hospital of the Martyrs of Al-Aqsa, where so many dead have flocked since the start of the war, by dancing, waving Palestinian flags or taking photos. Several spontaneous gatherings took place in other localities, according to AFP journalists on site or witnesses contacted by telephone.