Gaza War: Qatar announces ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza Strip

Jubilant atmosphere in Gaza, restraint among the relatives of the hostages: After a war in the Gaza Strip that lasted more than 15 months, Israel and the Islamist Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, according to the mediating state of Qatar. Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced this in Doha on the 466th day after the start of the war. It is scheduled to come into force in the Gaza Strip on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. CET) and will last for 42 days in an initial phase.

With the agreement there is also hope for a permanent end to the devastating war. According to the agreement, Israel’s army should withdraw from densely populated areas in Gaza in the first phase. However, Al Thani did not provide any details about the remaining whereabouts of Israeli troops in the coastal area or a deadline for a possible complete withdrawal.

According to media reports, Israel’s army should gradually withdraw from inhabited areas of the Gaza Strip, but initially not from the so-called Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt. Israel fears that Hamas could again smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. The residents who fled to the south of the coastal strip should be allowed to move freely in the Gaza Strip again and return to their residential areas in the north under international supervision.

Months of efforts by the mediators

Efforts by the USA, Egypt and Qatar have been underway for months to persuade Israel to agree to a ceasefire and Hamas to release its hostages through indirect negotiations. But the talks stalled for months. The war was triggered by the massacre by Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023, with 1,200 dead and more than 250 abducted. Israel responded with attacks against Hamas in Gaza, killing more than 46,700 people and wounding more than 110,200, according to Palestinian figures.

The outgoing US President Joe Biden attributed the agreement largely to his and his government’s commitment. But the implementation falls primarily to the government of his successor Donald Trump, said Biden in the White House. “In the past few days we have spoken as a team,” emphasized Biden.

The agreement also requires the approval of the Israeli security cabinet and the Israeli government. According to Israeli media, it is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. local time (10 a.m. CET) on Thursday to approve the deal. The government should also meet immediately afterwards. Consent is considered relatively secure.

Deal in three phases – initially releasing 33 hostages

The ceasefire will initially last for six weeks, said Al Thani. During this time, 33 of the hostages held by Hamas are to be released, including women, soldiers, minors and the elderly and sick. In return, as in a previous ceasefire, Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons. Al Thani initially did not give a number. An Israeli government official had previously spoken of hundreds of prisoners who should be released. According to Israeli reports, the first three hostages are expected to be released on Sunday.

According to Israeli information, a total of 98 people are still being held in the Gaza Strip, of which at least 34 are believed to be dead. The Foreign Office in Berlin says that the hostages also include a “low double-digit number of people with ties to Germany.”

In the first of three phases, displaced people in the coastal area should be able to return to their homes and more of the urgently needed relief supplies should be delivered to Gaza, said Al Thani. The conflicting parties would agree on details of the second and third phases during the first phase.

Cheering in Gaza – restraint among hostage relatives

In the Gaza Strip, people burst into cheers. According to eyewitnesses, tens of thousands of cheering people poured into the streets even before there was any official confirmation of the agreement. Footage circulating on Palestinian and social media shows people singing and dancing. You can also see men who appear to be crying for joy.

“We have been waiting for this moment for 15 months, today is a holiday,” said Nadschua Othman, a displaced person housed in a camp in the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, to the German Press Agency. “This is a long-awaited day,” emphasized 40-year-old Abdul Alim Auda, who came with his three children to celebrate in the city of Deir al-Balah in the center of the coastal region. Celebrations also broke out in Lebanon, where many Palestinian refugees live.

The relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza greeted the prospect of the release of 33 of the abductees with mixed feelings. “For me it’s not over until it’s over,” said Jimmy Miller, cousin of hostage referee Bibas, in central Tel Aviv. The square was unusually empty that evening; no one seemed to be in a party mood.

“I will only believe it when I see our hostages from the Gaza Strip crossing the border into Israel,” Miller told the German Press Agency. “That will give me hope and belief that this deal will start and end at a certain point.” The Israeli army said it was preparing to take hostages.

Hamas celebrates agreement as a success – Rafah crossing should open

The Islamist Hamas celebrated the agreement as an achievement for the Palestinians. “The ceasefire agreement is the result of the legendary resilience of our great Palestinian people and our brave resistance in the Gaza Strip for more than 15 months,” the Islamist organization said.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed the agreement and called for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza to be accelerated. According to security sources, the important Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will be reopened on Thursday morning. A security officer at the border crossing confirmed to the German Press Agency that relevant instructions had been received. Around 600 trucks carrying aid deliveries were prepared for import.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was already very bad before the war began in October 2023 and has worsened dramatically as a result of the bombing. According to the UN, more than 90 percent of the Palestinian population suffers from severe hunger. There is also a lack of water, emergency shelter and medicine.