DOHA: After 15 months of conflict, US and Qatari leaders revealed Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a truce in Gaza, which would begin on Sunday, as well as a hostage and prisoner exchange. This sparked euphoria among Palestinians.
On Wednesday evening, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani declared, “The two belligerents in the Gaza Strip have reached a deal on the prisoner … swap, and (the mediators) announce a ceasefire in the hopes of reaching a permanent ceasefire between the two sides.”
A clearly satisfied President Joe Biden said the discussions to end the Gaza conflict had been some of the “toughest” of his career during a speech at the White House a few days before he leaves office.
In a televised remark, he declared, “I’m really happy that this day has finally arrived.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office warned that key points in the framework were still “unresolved,” but expressed hope that the “details will be finalised tonight.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who has a primarily ceremonial role, said the accord was the “right move.”
Al-Thani stated that 33 hostages, “including civilian women and female recruits, as well as children (and) elderly people… in return for a number of prisoners who are being held in Israeli prisons,” would be released by Hamas as part of the initial phase of the agreement.
As mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the United States stepped up their attempts to forge an agreement, pressure to cease the violence had increased in recent days.
The prime minister of Qatar announced on Wednesday that a committee headquartered in Cairo would oversee the three nations’ adherence to the truce.
According to Hamas, its delegation gave mediators its consent for the ceasefire deal and the release of captives.
Shortly after a ceasefire agreement was announced, Hamas’ acting Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya claimed in a televised speech on Wednesday that Israel had fallen short of its objectives in Gaza.
Additionally, he pledged that the Palestinian group will never forget or forgive.
Earlier, a second Palestinian official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that Hamas had approved the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement verbally and was awaiting additional details before issuing a final formal acceptance.
Trump claims the credit.
Days before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, the accord comes after months of intermittent negotiations led by mediators from Egypt and Qatar with support from the US. Trump hurried to take credit for the agreement on Thursday.
For the captives in the Middle East, we have an agreement. They’ll be out soon. I’m grateful. Prior to any formal announcement from the White House of departing President Joe Biden, Trump made this statement on his Truth Social network.
“Only because of our Historic Victory in November was this EPIC ceasefire agreement possible,” Trump said in a long follow-up message.
The ceasefire agreement was praised by EU Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Suica, who stated that the bloc “remains committed to supporting all efforts towards a long-lasting peace and recovery.”
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end violence in Gaza is a significant step toward regional stability, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Fidan also told reporters in Ankara that Turkey will keep working toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem.
The announcement was welcomed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, who stated that it “is crucial to achieving regional stability.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on X that “this ceasefire opens the door to a permanent end to the war and to the improvement of the poor humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt, praised the ceasefire agreement and emphasized the “importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza.
Coordination was reportedly in progress to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, according to Egyptian official media.
According to the report, Egypt was “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip.”
The planned gradual ceasefire, if successful, may put an end to the conflict that has destroyed much of Gaza and forced out the majority of the 2.3 million people who lived there before the war.
In turn, this could ease tensions throughout the broader Middle East, where the war has fueled fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq and heightened worries of a full-scale conflict between Israel and Iran, two bitter regional rivals.
What comes next?
Even if all goes according to plan, the Palestinians, Arab nations, and Israel still need to come to an agreement on a post-war Gaza strategy. This is a difficult task that will require billions of dollars in reconstruction funding as well as security assurances for Israel.
The question of who will govern Gaza following the conflict remains unresolved.
Israel has been nearly as opposed to the authority of the Palestinian Authority, which was established under the Oslo interim peace accords, as it has been to any involvement by Hamas, which had controlled Gaza since 2007.
