Ceasefire brings hope in devastated Gaza after 15 months of war By Reuters

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By James Mackenzie, Nidal al-Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell and Emily Rose

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Palestinians made their way to the rubble of their former homes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and Israelis prepared to receive the first hostages still held by Hamas after a ceasefire agreement took effect, that could pave the way for an end to a 15-month-old war.

The war between Israel and Hamas, which began after the militants stormed Israeli towns and villages on October 7, 2023, has turned the Gaza Strip into a wasteland, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and leaving almost all of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents homeless.

The ceasefire agreement is the result of months of negotiations between Egypt, Qatar and the United States. It comes into force on the eve of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who put pressure on Hamas and Israel to stop fighting before he takes office.

Regardless of whether the initial 42-day ceasefire holds or not, the agreement will provide temporary relief for Gazans hit by shelling and relief for the families of Israeli and foreign hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel should be.

Some Palestinians went to cemeteries in Gaza to visit the graves of murdered relatives, others rushed into destroyed neighborhoods to try to find family members whose bodies are still buried.

Drone footage showed hundreds of Gazans shuffling along dirt roads flanked by miles of apartment blocks reduced to mounds of shattered concrete, metal and rubble.

“I feel like I’ve finally found some water to drink after being lost in the desert for 15 months. I feel alive again,” Aya Mohammad, 31, told Reuters via chat app from Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where she had been seeking shelter with her family after fleeing Gaza City.

“We are now waiting for the day when we can return to our home in Gaza City. Life does not get better because of the destruction and loss we have suffered. But at least no more bloodshed on women and children. I hope that’s it.”

The ceasefire came into effect at 09:15 GMT, almost three hours after it was supposed to begin. During the delay, Israeli warplanes flew across the skies over Gaza and launched attacks.

Palestinian medics said 13 people were killed in northern Gaza during the delay. Israel said it attacked terrorists.

Israel blamed Hamas for the delay, saying the group was late in submitting the names of the first three hostages it would release on Sunday. Hamas said the delay was due to technical problems and finally sent a list of the names at 06:30 GMT, about two hours after the agreed implementation time.

A Palestinian official said the delay in sending the list was due to Israel’s ongoing bombings, which hampered contact.

Hostages for prisoners

While the residents of Gaza breathed a sigh of relief, Israel prepared for the hostages’ return. Hamas took around 250 people hostage in its deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About half were released during the war’s only previous ceasefire, which lasted a week in November 2023. Many of the rest are said to have been killed.

The ceasefire agreement calls for the gradual release of 33 hostages during the first six-week phase. Hamas identified the first three who would be released on Sunday in exchange for 90 Palestinians. All three were women: Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. Israel did not immediately confirm the names.

The Palestinians include 737 prisoners, some of whom are members of militant groups convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis.

Hamas, which controls the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza, sparked the war by attacking towns in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Nearly 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip in retaliation against Hamas, according to Gaza-based health authorities. They include thousands of Hamas fighters and the group’s top military leaders, but the U.N. human rights office says most of the deaths it has reviewed are women and children.

Around 400 Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The attack has destroyed the territory’s infrastructure and left almost all of its 2.3 million residents homeless.

Israel also took on Iran’s proxies, carrying out a series of airstrikes and assassinations in Lebanon, Syria and Iran that left much of Iran’s decades-long network of paramilitary groups on the “Axis of Resistance” in tatters.

In a major parallel war in Lebanon last year, Israel destroyed much of the leadership of that country’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. This was quickly followed by the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by rebels in a sudden lightning offensive after more than years of civil war support from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia.

If the ceasefire leads to a prolonged halt in fighting, it remains unclear what will happen next in Gaza. There is no clear plan for postwar Gaza, which will take billions of dollars and years to rebuild. Israel says it will return to war if Hamas returns.

© Reuters. Hamas fighters celebrate, Khan Younis, January 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Israel’s attack on Gaza has also had a diplomatic cost, as it has been met with international outrage and isolation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, and Israel faces genocide charges at the International Court of Justice.

Israel says the cases are baseless and fueled by anti-Semitism and has exercised its right to defend itself.





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