Israel, Hamas ceasefire accord followed by airstrikes on Gaza, residents say

Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said, as mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce's start on Sunday.

The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., following 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.

The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until approved by the country’s security cabinet and government. A vote was slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of making last-minute demands and going back on agreements.

People pass by the Fox News ticker as it announces the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal at the News Corp and WSJ headquarters in New York City, U.S., January 15, 2025. Reuters

“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.

Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, senior group official Izzat el-Reshiq said on Thursday.

Hardliners in Netanyahu's government were still hoping to stop the deal, though a majority of ministers were expected to back it.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his party would only stay in the government if Israel resumes the war in full force until Hamas is defeated. Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also threatened to quit if the ceasefire is approved.

While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military conducted more attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.

On Thursday, Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel, the Israeli military said, causing no casualties.

Israeli airstrikes throughout the night and early Thursday killed at least 46 Palestinians, Gaza health officials said.

At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect Sunday. He said negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the agreement.

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani makes statements to the media in Doha, Qatar, October 13, 2023. Reuters

“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in Washington.

His successor, Donald Trump, will take office on Monday and claim credit for the breakthrough in Gaza.

Israelis will find it hard to see Palestinian militants who were serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks set free.

However, successive surveys have shown broad public support for a deal that would release the hostages, even at what is seen as a heavy price.

“This has to be the only choice we take to survive as a state and nation, knowing we will do anything to save each other,” said Jerusalem resident Chava Treitel.

Jubilation in Gaza

News of the ceasefire deal sparked jubilation in Gaza, where Palestinians face severe shortages of food, water, shelter, and fuel. In Khan Younis, throngs clogged streets amid the sounds of horns as they cheered, waved Palestinian flags, and danced.

Reuters

“I am happy. Yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy,” said Ghada, a displaced mother of five.

In Tel Aviv, families of Israeli hostages likewise welcomed the news, saying in a statement they felt “overwhelming joy and relief (about) the agreement to bring our loved ones home.”

In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the pact “an achievement for our people” and “a turning point.”

Ceasefire’s wider implications

If successful, the ceasefire will halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million prewar population, Gaza authorities said.

That could defuse tensions across the Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, raising fears of an all-out war between Israel and Iran.

With 98 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 of them, including all women, children, and men over 50.

Food lined up at Gaza’s borders

The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza. The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they were preparing to scale up operations.

Global reaction to the ceasefire was enthusiastic. Leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Britain, the U.N., the European Union, Jordan, Germany, and the UAE celebrated the news.

Biden and Trump claimed credit for the deal, which was months in the making but helped across the line by a Trump emissary.

Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen attacked border-area communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Negotiations on implementing phase two of the deal will begin by the 16th day of phase one. This stage includes the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The third stage addresses the return of all remaining bodies and Gaza’s reconstruction, which will be supervised by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.N.

If all goes smoothly, Palestinians, Arab states, and Israel must still agree on a vision for postwar Gaza, including the unanswered question of who will run the enclave after the war.