Despite an announcement late Wednesday, January 15, by mediators the US and Qatar that Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, Israeli military operations continued in Gaza, international media reported.
The deal, set to take effect on Sunday, January 19, pending approval by the Israeli Cabinet, aims to end over 15 months of brutal conflict. The violence has claimed nearly 50,000 lives, injured more than 110,000, and caused widespread devastation in Gaza.
According to the BBC, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani stated that the agreement would be implemented once the Israeli Cabinet grants approval.
Qatar, a key mediator, confirmed the deal late Wednesday. However, Al Jazeera noted that Israel acknowledged unresolved issues while expressing optimism about finalizing the agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that some details were still under discussion.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya attributed the agreement to the resilience of the Palestinian people, according to the BBC.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden commended the mediators–the US, Egypt, and Qatar–for their role in brokering the deal. “Today, after months of intensive diplomacy, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal,” Biden said in a statement.
While news of the agreement sparked celebrations in Palestinian territories, fighting in Gaza persisted. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported over 20 deaths from Israeli airstrikes following Qatar's announcement, according to a BBC report.
The conflict's recent escalation began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,139 people in Israel and abducted more than 200. In retaliation, Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of nearly 47,000 Palestinians and injuries to over 110,000, according to Al Jazeera.
Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed said the three countries would monitor the implementation of the ceasefire via a body based in Cairo, reported AFP. During the initial 42-day ceasefire, 33 hostages would be released, he said, "including civilian women and female recruits, as well as children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded".
Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza's densely populated areas to allow for the exchanges, as well as "the return of the displaced people to their residences", he said. The number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages in the second and third phases would be "finalised" during the initial 42 days.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pointed to the "importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid" into Gaza as he welcomed news of the deal.
Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera news outlet cited a security source as saying coordination was "underway" to reopen the Rafah crossing on Gaza's border with Egypt to allow the entry of aid.
The UN's Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to take effect later this month, has said it will continue providing much-needed aid.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini welcomed news of the deal in a post on X.
"Many have been hoping for this moment for the past 15 months," he said. "What's needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war."
(With inputs from AFP/RSS)
