Israel and Hamas have agreed to end 15 months of war in Gaza, with Israeli hostages released in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal, which is set to come into effect on Sunday, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed.
The pact was celebrated by both Palestinians and Israelis on Wednesday. But while the ceasefire agreement has been announced, it has yet to be approved by Israel’s cabinet, who will meet today to discuss it.
In the meantime, Israeli air strikes killed more than 20 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.
Follow the latest updates with The i Paper live blog.
Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza after ceasefire announcement Sort: Newest first Oldest first January 16, 2025 8:05 am‘Significant progress’ made on ceasefire once Biden and Trump worked together, says US ambassador to Israel
Significant progress was made on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal once the administrations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump began working hand in hand to make the case for urgency, outgoing US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told Reuters.
Lew’s 15 months as President Biden’s envoy overlapped with a war that began on October 7, 2023, with a Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel followed by an Israeli assault on Gaza. He spoke on Tuesday before a deal was reached.
A Washington veteran and a Democrat, Lew said the bipartisan US cooperation began right after the Republican Trump’s election as president two months ago. Lew said US national interests were best served by what he called a “warm handoff” and a constructive transition.
“I think a lot of progress has been made. The fact that you have an outgoing and an incoming administration that have worked hand in hand to make the case for urgency, I think, has been noticed by all parties,” Lew said.
Lew credited Biden’s significant time commitment to the deal as his term neared an end and welcomed the engagement of Trump, who had said there would be “hell to pay” unless Hamas freed the hostages before he takes over from Biden on 20 January.
Lew will hand over the ambassador’s role to Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former Arkansas governor, when Trump returns to the White House on Monday.
January 16, 2025 7:46 amIsrael intensifies strikes on Gaza after ceasefire announcement
Morning and welcome to The i Paper live blog on the Israel-Hamas war.
An Israeli army attack targeting tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, led to the outbreak of a fire following the ceasefire agreement (Photo: Anas Zeyad Fteha/Anadolu via Getty Images)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 militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.
While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military escalated attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.
Heavy Israeli bombardment, especially in Gaza City, killed 32 people late on Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued early this morning and destroyed houses in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.
Israel’s military said Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel today, causing no casualties.
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