Hamas-Israel truce deal gets global welcome
WHO: Cease-fire would not end civilian suffering
Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a cease-fire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in aid and release at least 50 people captured by fighters in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.
Nations around the globe welcomed the announcement that Israel and Hamas reached a deal to exchange prisoners and pause Israel’s ferocious fighting and bombardment in Gaza. The World Health Organization also welcomed the deal, but the UN health agency’s chief said it would not end civilian suffering.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was in Beirut told a press conference upon his arrival in Beirut, “The six weeks of resistance in Gaza proved that the main losers in the face of global public opinion are the United States and Israel.”
“There is no doubt that the future of Gaza and Palestine will be determined by the Palestinian people alone,” he added.
Amir-Abdollahian quoted the leaders of the resistance as saying that the fingers of the resistance will remain on the trigger until the realization of the full rights of Palestinians and the complete liberation of Palestine.
The first truce in a brutal seven-week-old war, reached after mediation by Qatar, was hailed around the world as a sign of progress that could ease the suffering of Gaza’s civilians and the exchange of prisoners. Israel said the cease-fire could be extended further, as long as more hostages were freed.
Hamas and allied groups captured around 240 Israelis when fighters rampaged through southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7. Previously, Hamas had released just four.
The truce was not expected to begin until Thursday morning. The Palestinian Authority hailed the truce, calling for a more permanent cease-fire.
“President Mahmoud Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, value the Qatari-Egyptian effort made, and reaffirm the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the entry of humanitarian aid,” senior PA official Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on X.
US President Joe Biden thanked the leaders of Qatar and Egypt for their “critical leadership” in reaching the deal.
Mentioning the release of prisoners, he expressed his gratification that the prisoners “will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented”.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called the deal a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the prisoners and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the “breakthrough” agreement “must be used to bring vital aid to people in Gaza”.
Beijing hoped “that it will help ease the plight of the humanitarian crisis, de-escalate the conflict and ease tensions”, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
The Kremlin called the deal “the first good news from Gaza in a very long time”, noting that “it is only on the basis of these kinds of pauses that some outlines of future attempts at a sustainable settlement can be built”.
Egypt, which helped broker the deal, hailed the success in creating a “humanitarian truce,” according to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, who welcomed the deal and noted “the continuation of the Egyptian efforts to reach final and sustainable solutions… to guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement, praising Qatar and Egypt for their roles in brokering the “humanitarian truce”. The statement stressed that the truce must allow for increased aid to Gaza and lead to a more permanent cease-fire which stops the “targeting of Palestinians and their forced displacement”.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it hoped the “humanitarian pause” will be part of efforts “to completely end the conflict as soon as possible and initiate a process towards a just and lasting peace on the basis of a two-state solution”.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she had ordered her European Commission to step up aid deliveries to Gaza. “The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement, adding, “I wholeheartedly welcome the agreement”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “welcomes the agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar, supported by Egypt and the United States,” a spokesman for the UN chief said in a statement, adding, “This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done”.
AFP, Reuters, and IRNA contributed to this report.