15 months of fighting in Gaza to stop tomorrow after Israeli cabinet approves deal
A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza is set to begin on Sunday morning, pausing the 15-month war and bringing Hamas and Israel a step closer to ending their deadliest and most destructive fighting ever.
The deal was approved by Israel’s cabinet early on Saturday morning, in a move that would release dozens of hostages and stop the deadly fighting, which has raged since October 2023.
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Hide AdIn a post on X, Qatar’s foreign minister said the agreement would take effect at 8.30am local time on Sunday.
He advised people to exercise caution when the agreement goes into effect and wait for directions from officials.
The Israeli government had previously accused Hamas of creating a “last minute crisis” by reneging on parts of the deal in an attempt to gain further concessions, leaving uncertainty around the final ratification of the agreement which was reported earlier this week.
Under the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
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The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Key questions remain about the ceasefire, however, the second achieved during the war, including the names of the 33 hostages who are to be released during the first, six-week phase and who among them is still alive.
Hamas has agreed to free three female hostages on day one of the deal, four on day seven and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks. Families of British hostages were waiting to learn if their relatives were among the first people released as part of the agreement.
The Jewish Chronicle reported that British hostage Emily Damari is understood to be among the 33 captives set for release, although there has been no official word on the status of British-linked hostages.
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Hide AdBritish-Israeli Ms Damari, 28, was kidnapped during the October 7 attack in 2023 and has been a hostage for 469 days.
Stephen Brisley, whose sister Lianne Sharabi was killed with her daughters Noiya and Yahel, refuses to get carried away after “so many false dawns”.
Mr Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi was taken hostage, said: “It’s still difficult to believe that it’s happening. Because there have been so many false dawns, there’s still that part of me that isn’t really allowing myself to believe it still, despite the fact that it’s been formally announced.
Palestinian detainees are to be released as well.
Israel’s justice ministry published a list of more than 700 who are to be freed in the deal’s first phase and said the release will not begin before 4pm local time on Sunday.
All people on the list are younger or female.
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Hide AdThe largely devastated Gaza should see a surge in humanitarian aid. Trucks carrying aid lined up Friday on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.
Sam Rose, senior deputy director of affairs in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said: “Two-thirds of all food aid waiting outside Gaza belongs to UNRWA. The aid is there on the border. We stand ready to bring that aid in. We have the distribution network. We have the staff on the ground.”
Israeli legislation against UNRWA is due to come into force at the end of this month, revoking privileges and immunities of the organisation. It would forbid any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibit any UNRWA presence within Israel, hampering its aid efforts, including education, health care, and fuel distribution in Gaza and the West Bank.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) welcomed the ceasefire, but warned there is “no quick fix” in Gaza. It called for stakeholders to work together to find “Palestinian led solutions that work for Gaza”.
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Hide AdIt said: “The entire population has faced multiple displacements; more than 46,000 people have been killed, and over 110,000 injured. Diseases are on the rise, and the risk of famine persists.
“Only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are operational, and more than 25 per cent of the injured face life-changing injuries.”
It added: “The ceasefire announcement brings hope, but the challenge ahead is staggering. Addressing the immense needs and restoring the health system will be a complex and challenging task, given the scale, complexity of operation and constraints involved.”
The ceasefire agreement has drawn fierce resistance from Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, on whose support the Israeli prime minister depends to remain in power.
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Hide AdOn Thursday, Israel’s hardline national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the government if Israel approves the ceasefire.
Hamas triggered the war with its cross-border attack into Israel on 7 October 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive.
Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.
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