Serenity descends on Gaza
Hamas: Cease-fire ‘result of legendary steadfastness’ of Palestinians Gen. Qa’ani calls truce agreement biggest defeat for Israel
A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took hold in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ushering in an initial six-week period of calm and raising hopes for an end to the Israel’s devastating 15-month war on Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages.
The truce finally took effect after a three-hour delay, during which Israeli forces pounded Gaza from the air in a final blitz that killed 13 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Even before the cease-fire came into force, celebrations erupted across the territory and thousands of Gazans carrying tents, clothes and their personal belongings were seen heading back to their homes, after more than 15 months of war that displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s population, in many cases more than once.
Israel, meanwhile, announced the release of the three hostages later Sunday, in exchange for the planned release of 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 captives held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel’s hardline national security minister, meanwhile, said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the cabinet in protest at the cease-fire agreement. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.
The cease-fire deal was announced last week after a year of mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team had both pressed for an agreement to be reached before the inauguration on Monday.
Netanyahu on Saturday warned that he had Trump’s backing to continue fighting if necessary.
The 42-day first phase of the cease-fire should see 33 captives returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home.
Under the deal, Israeli forces will also withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their residences,” Qatar said.
Humanitarian aid
There is also supposed to be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily, far more than Israel had earlier allowed. The United Nations’ World Food Program said trucks started entering through two crossings after the ceasefire took hold.
This is just the second cease-fire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this cease-fire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase and how the rest of the captives in Gaza will be freed.
Hamas fighters appeared at some celebrations in Gaza where crowds chanted slogans in support of them.
Gazans return home
In the southern city of Rafah, residents returned amid massive destruction. Some found human remains including skulls in the rubble.
The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge.
Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s strikes, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
The war erupted after Hamas launched an operation on Israel’s positions in the occupied territories and killed over 1,200 people and held captive around 250 others. More than 100 hostages were freed during the weeklong cease-fire in November.
Some 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations says homes, the health system, road networks and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged.
Thousands of displaced, war-weary Gazans set off across the devastated Palestinian territory to return to their home areas on Sunday.
Hamas said the cease-fire was the “result of the legendary steadfastness of our great Palestinian people and our valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip for over 15 months.”
‘Biggest defeat’ for Israel
The commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps lauded the cease-fire agreement as the biggest defeat for the regime.
Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani said on Sunday that the cease-fire was the “biggest defeat” the Tel Aviv regime had experienced in its “miserable life” as it failed to achieve any of its goals.
“The bloodthirsty, child-killing butchers of the Zionist regime, after 15 months of unrestrained crimes they committed against the oppressed people of Palestine, Lebanon and the region, were forced to accept a cease-fire today at the pinnacle of humiliation; this cease-fire was imposed on the Zionist regime,” Qa’ani said.
The Quds Force chief underlined that the cease-fire deal was the same as what had been proposed in the previous round of negotiations, but Israel had rejected it.