Situation at a glance: The weapons should rest in Gaza – will the deal hold?

The agreement between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip announced by the mediating states raises hope for an end to the war that has been going on for 15 months. Israel’s President Izchak Herzog called on his country’s security cabinet and government to approve the agreement with Hamas. The head of government’s office announced in the evening that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would only make a statement after the final detailed questions had been answered. The Cabinet is expected to vote on the agreement today.

“We are at an extremely crucial moment,” Herzog said, according to his office. According to the Israeli news site Ynet, the details still to be clarified according to Netanyahu’s office are “technical details” such as the composition of the list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel is to release in exchange for the Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media, approval from the security cabinet and the government can be expected. Accordingly, the cabinet is scheduled to meet today at 10 a.m. CET, and the government will meet immediately afterwards.

The ceasefire is due to come into force on Sunday

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced yesterday that the ceasefire should come into force on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. CET and initially last for 42 days. According to Israeli media, the first hostages are expected to return to Israel on the same day. During the ceasefire, 33 of the 98 kidnapped people are to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners – although it is uncertain how many hostages are still alive. Hospitals in Israel have prepared to receive deeply traumatized and sometimes sick and injured people.

While people in the sealed-off Gaza Strip erupted in cheers, relatives of the Israeli hostages greeted the announcement of an agreement with mixed feelings. “For me it’s not over until it’s over,” said Jimmy Miller, cousin of German-Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, in central Tel Aviv. The square was unusually empty that evening; no one seemed to be in a party mood.

Netanyahu thanks Biden and Trump

According to the White House, outgoing US President Joe Biden congratulated Netanyahu on the ceasefire deal, which is divided into three phases. Both politicians spoke about the unimaginable conditions that the hostages – including Americans – had to endure in captivity and the terrible suffering of their families. Biden always supported Israel, but also increasingly criticized the conduct of the war. His designated successor Donald Trump, on the other hand, is known as a close ally of Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s office said he thanked Trump for his support in advancing the agreement. The Republican helped Israel “end the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.” Netanyahu also praised Trump’s statements that the USA, together with Israel, wanted to ensure that the Gaza Strip never became a haven for terrorists. Both wanted to meet in Washington “soon” and discuss these and other questions.

UN emergency workers see hope for millions in Gaza

The agreed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas offers “much-needed hope for millions of people whose lives have been devastated by this conflict,” said UN emergency aid coordinator Tom Fletcher. The important Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is scheduled to reopen this morning. A security official confirmed to the German Press Agency that relevant instructions had been received. Around 600 trucks carrying aid deliveries were prepared for import.

The already miserable humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal strip on the Mediterranean has become dramatically worse as a result of months of bombing. According to the UN, more than 90 percent of the Palestinian population is now suffering from severe hunger. There is a lack of water, emergency shelter and medicine.

Several Arab states also welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire. “This announcement ends a bloody page in the history of the Palestinian people, who have suffered greatly from Israeli aggression,” said Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Both sides must now adhere to the agreements reached in order to put an end to the suffering of the hostages and Palestinian prisoners, said the United Arab States State Department.

Macron: Agreement must be kept

French President Emmanuel Macron also demanded that the agreement must be adhered to. He insists on a political solution to the Middle East conflict. After 15 months of “unjustifiable martyrdom,” there is relief for the people of Gaza and hope for the hostages and their families. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped for lasting peace and stability. His government maintains close ties with Hamas.

The agreement must be “rigorously implemented,” demanded US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. With “guidance and wisdom, we can make progress toward the day when Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace and security in two sovereign states, with mutual security and dignity.”

Deep mistrust fuels skepticism

However, given the deep mistrust between both sides, it is unclear whether Israel and Hamas will stick to the agreed steps for weeks. It is therefore questionable whether it will be possible to agree on the release of the remaining hostages in the second phase of the agreement. Netanyahu is already facing accusations that with the current deal he has abandoned the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip for the time being. Observers warn that fighting could start again after the ceasefire expires – especially since there are supporters on both sides of continuing the war.

The war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 250 were abducted to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with attacks against Hamas in Gaza, killing more than 46,700 people and wounding more than 110,200 others, according to Palestinian figures. The figures, which cannot be independently verified but are considered credible by the United Nations, do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.