As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunity

Israeli soldiers joke next to an armored vehicle parked near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP)
Israeli soldiers joke next to an armored vehicle parked near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 10 December 2024
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As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunity

As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunity
  • The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the UN after the 1973 Mideast war. A UN force of about 1,100 troops has patrolled the area since then
  • The rebels who ousted Assad and now control much of Syria are led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, although he severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance

TEL AVIV, Israel: The dramatic downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad presents possible danger, and an opening, for neighboring Israel.
After fighting wars on multiple fronts for months, Israel is now concerned that unrest in Syria could spill over into its territory. Israel also views the end of the Assad regime as a chance to disrupt Iran’s ability to smuggle weapons through Syria to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Israeli military over the weekend began seizing control of a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria created as part of a 1974 ceasefire between the countries. It said the move was temporary and meant to secure its border.
But the incursion sparked condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab. Israel still controls the Golan Heights that it captured from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed — a move not recognized by most of the international community.
Here’s a look at recent developments along the Syrian frontier.
Where are the Israeli troops?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the UN after the 1973 Mideast war. A UN force of about 1,100 troops has patrolled the area since then.
On a visit Sunday to a Golan Heights hilltop overlooking Syria, Netanyahu said that because Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, Israel’s move into the buffer zone was necessary as a “temporary defensive position.”
“The peacekeepers at (the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF) informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement, that there should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. He added that the buffer zone was calm and UNDOF peacekeepers remained in their position. The Security Council is scheduled to meet for special consultations called by Russia to discuss the buffer zone issue.
The rebels who ousted Assad and now control much of Syria are led by a former senior Al-Qaeda militant, although he severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance.
On Monday evening, Netanyahu said Assad’s fall is the “direct result of the heavy blows we landed on Hamas, on Hezbollah and on Iran.” He added that Israel would occupy the summit of Mount Hermon, which is within the buffer zone on the Syria-Lebanon border, and at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet) is the highest peak in the eastern Mediterranean coast.
Israel has sent both ground and air troops into the buffer zone, including on the Syrian side of snow-dusted Mount Hermon, which is divided between the Golan Heights, Lebanon, and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s control of the Golan Heights.
How long will Israeli troops be in the buffer zone?
Israeli troops began moving into the buffer zone Saturday. Also on Saturday, armed men attacked UN forces near the border with Israel, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
“(The Israeli military) took targeted and temporary control of certain areas near the border to prevent an Oct. 7 scenario from Syria,” Saar said, referring to Hamas’ surprise 2023 attack into Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Many in the region condemned the move. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of “exploiting the power vacuum … to occupy more Syrian territories and create a fait accompli in violation of international law.”
This isn’t the first time Israel has entered the buffer zone this year.
An Associated Press report last month examining satellite imagery found that Israel had been working on a construction project, possibly a new road, along the border with Syria from as early as July, and had in some cases entered the buffer zone during construction. Following the AP report, UN forces warned that the Israeli military has committed “severe violations” of its ceasefire deal with Syria.
Is Israel invading Syria?
Israeli political and military leaders have stressed that the seizure of the buffer zone is temporary and not a prelude to entering other parts of Syrian territory.
“The plan at the moment is that this is a temporary step to make sure stability is kept in the border, making sure the buffer zone is kept, and the UN forces can stay,” said a military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines.
The official noted that in 2014, UN peacekeepers fled the buffer zone after Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels attacked their encampments. After armed men attacked UN forces over the weekend, Israel wanted to ensure the situation did not repeat itself, the official said.
Israel isn’t currently trying to change the border or prepare for an invasion into Syria, said Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think-tank.
“Right now, it’s a tactical operation, not a long-term strategy, in response to the dynamic situation in Syria,” she said. With the collapse of the Syrian army, Israel wants to protect its borders until the situation stabilizes, she said.
What are Israel’s interests?
Israel says its immediate goal is to prevent the instability in Syria from spreading into the border region.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday laid out Israel’s plans for the border area. He said that after completing the takeover of the buffer zone, Israel would create a “security zone” beyond it by destroying heavy artillery across Syria and preventing Iran from smuggling weapons through Syria into Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Saar said Monday that Israel has struck multiple sites holding chemical weapons and long-range missiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors. Saar did not say when the strikes occurred. Analysts said Israel is likely to continue carrying out strikes against targets across Syria.
Israel is planning outreach to Syria’s Druze population, a close-knit religious minority that also lives in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon and has maintained some ties across borders.
Israel is also trying to open lines of communication with Syrian rebel groups, to help ensure Iranian-backed factions don’t reclaim any territory, according to Valensi.
For many years, Israel quietly provided food, medicine, clothing and other assistance to war-ravaged southern Syria through “Operation Good Neighbor,” which ended in 2018. More than 4,000 wounded and sick Syrians received medical treatment in Israel or in Israeli field hospitals, and those non-diplomatic connections could now prove crucial.

 


World leaders urge aid, war’s end after Gaza deal

World leaders urge aid, war’s end after Gaza deal
Updated 56 min 58 sec ago
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World leaders urge aid, war’s end after Gaza deal

World leaders urge aid, war’s end after Gaza deal

PARIS: World figures hailed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, urging them to stick to it and hurry aid to Gaza civilians.
Here is a roundup of reactions from official statements, broadcast remarks and online messages.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was “imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support.”
US President Joe Biden said he was “thrilled” that hostages would be freed and “confident” the deal would hold. “I’m deeply satisfied this day has... finally come,” he said in a televised statement.
Incoming US president Donald Trump vowed to “work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said “both parties must fully implement this agreement, as a stepping stone toward lasting stability in the region.”
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hoped the agreement “will be beneficial for our region and for all humanity, particularly for our Palestinian brothers, and that it will open the way to lasting peace and stability.”
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry stressed “the need to adhere to the agreement and stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” calling for “the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the (Gaza) Strip and all other Palestinian and Arab territories and the return of the displaced to their areas.”
Brazil’s foreign ministry called on the parties to “respect the terms of the accord, to guarantee a permanent end to hostilities, the freeing of all hostages and the free entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
China’s foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing hoped “that relevant parties will take the ceasefire in Gaza as an opportunity to promote the easing of regional tensions.”
The president of neighboring Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, called for “the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza. He said the deal followed “strenuous efforts” by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called on world powers to ensure the “sufficient and durable” delivery of aid to Gaza.
Iraq’s foreign ministry stressed the “need to immediately allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories” and “intensify international efforts to rebuild” areas damaged during Israel’s Gaza offensive.
“Today, the world realized that the patience of the people of Gaza and the steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance forced the Zionist regime to retreat,” Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, adding that Israel was “defeated.”
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said the agreement must be “respected” and followed by a “political solution.”
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the deal “opens the door to a permanent end to the war and to the improvement of the poor humanitarian situation in Gaza” and must be “implemented to the letter.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “the long overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for.” He urged steps for a “permanently better future... grounded in a two-state solution.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country “expects that all the hostages can finally return to their families” and saw an “opportunity to significantly increase humanitarian assistance” to Gaza civilians. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it an “important step toward peace.”
Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said it hoped the truce would lead to a permanent ceasefire and allow an increase of aid to Gaza and reaffirmed its support for a “just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question.”
UN rights chief Volker Turk said the deal promised “huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery... and it is imperative that it now holds.” The chief of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini called for “rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war.”


Netanyahu says ‘last minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal

Netanyahu says ‘last minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal
Updated 25 min ago
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Netanyahu says ‘last minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal

Netanyahu says ‘last minute crisis’ with Hamas holding up approval of Gaza truce and hostage deal
  • Netanyahu’s office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a “last minute crisis” with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited agreement to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes meanwhile killed dozens of people across the war-ravaged territory.
Netanyahu’s office said his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions.
Izzat Al-Rashq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal on Wednesday, which is aimed at releasing scores of hostages held in Gaza and winding down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Netanyahu’s office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.
Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions.
Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have meanwhile killed at least 48 people over the past day, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.
Around half of the dead were women and children, Zaher Al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told The Associated Press. He said the toll could rise as hospitals update their records.
A phased withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfalls
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, and the Israeli military believes around a third and up to half of them are dead.
Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second — and much more difficult — 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, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry. it does not say how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced some 90 percent of its population of 2.3 million people, according to the United Nations.
Israel says final details still being worked out
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement. They have spent the past year holding indirect talks with Israel and Hamas that finally resulted in a deal after repeated setbacks.
President-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction after a brutal conflict that has destabilized the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.
The International Court of Justice is investigating allegations brought by South Africa that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague, has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war.
Israel and the United States have condemned the actions taken by both courts.
Hamas, a militant group that does not accept Israel’s existence, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.
But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.


Key negotiators who helped get a Gaza ceasefire deal

Key negotiators who helped get a Gaza ceasefire deal
Updated 16 January 2025
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Key negotiators who helped get a Gaza ceasefire deal

Key negotiators who helped get a Gaza ceasefire deal
  • Qatar, Egypt and the United States mediated the long-running efforts to halt the fighting in the ravaged Palestinian territory

DOHA: A ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been reached between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of war. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have mediated the long-running efforts to halt the fighting in the ravaged Palestinian territory, often coming close to a deal before a frustrating breakdown in negotiations.
The latest round of talks proved successful this week, with all sides bringing their top negotiators to the Qatari capital, Doha.
Here is a look at the key players who negotiated the deal:
David Barnea
The head of Israel’s spy agency headed up Israel’s negotiation team throughout the negotiation process.
Working alongside the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency and top political and military advisers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and meeting with the Biden administration, Barnea was the highest-profile member of the Israeli negotiating team — but kept his own proclivities private during the talks.
Ronen Bar
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency also has been involved in negotiations for months. Bar’s agency handles matters relating to Palestinian security prisoners, some of whom, under the agreed-upon deal, are set to be released by Israel in exchange for hostages.
Bar has led the agency since 2021. Just days after the devastating Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that launched the war, he took responsibility for failing to thwart the militants. He said investigations into what happened would need to come after the war.
Khalil Al-Hayya
The acting head of Hamas’ political bureau and the militant group’s chief negotiator is based in Qatar but does not meet directly with Israeli or American officials, communicating instead through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
His role increased in importance after Israeli soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, was believed to be dictating the Hamas stance in negotiations up until his death.
But even before Sinwar’s death, Al-Hayya was managing affairs for the militant group. Al-Hayya, seen as less of a hard-liner than Sinwar, had served as Sinwar’s deputy and had managed ceasefire negotiations in 2014 as well.
He is a longtime official with the group and survived an Israeli airstrike that hit his home in Gaza in 2007, killing several of his family members.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister led his country’s pivotal mediation efforts in the stop-start negotiations. He has been a key communicator with Hamas throughout the process, as Israel and Hamas have not communicated directly.
The most consequential phase of negotiations — those that have occurred over the last few weeks — took place in Doha, his country’s capital.
Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect Sunday.
Hassan Rashad
The director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency was also a liaison with Hamas throughout the talks.
Rashad took office in October 2024, replacing former chief intelligence official Abbas Kamel, who led the negotiations during the first ceasefire in November 2023.
Several rounds of negotiations have occurred in Cairo, and the mediators will move to the Egyptian capital Thursday for further talks on implementing the deal.
Brett McGurk
President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser has been putting together a draft of the deal from the discussions with the two sides as the lead negotiator in the Israel-Hamas negotiations.
McGurk has been a fixture in US Mideast policy for more than two decades in the National Security Council and White House under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
He’s shuttled frequently to the Middle East for talks with senior officials about the conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Steve Witkoff
President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East has met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, another key mediator.
Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, has kept in contact with Biden’s foreign policy team as the incoming Trump and outgoing Biden administrations coordinated on the deal.
 


A look at the Gaza ceasefire deal

A look at the Gaza ceasefire deal
Updated 16 January 2025
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A look at the Gaza ceasefire deal

A look at the Gaza ceasefire deal

DOHA: Key mediator Qatar said on Wednesday that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.
Two sources close to Hamas earlier told AFP that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, while an Israeli government spokesman said hundreds would be released.
Below are the key details of the expected initial phase of the deal according to Qatari, US, Israeli and Palestinian officials and media reports:

Qatar said Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza starting on Sunday and a hostage and prisoner exchange after 15 months of war.
Thirty-three Israeli hostages will be released in the first, 42-day phase of the agreement that could become a “permanent ceasefire,” said Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
Those first released would be “civilian women and female recruits, as well as children, elderly people... civilian ill people and wounded,” he said.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Tuesday Israel was “prepared to pay a heavy price — in the hundreds” in exchange for the 33 hostages.

An anonymous Israeli official said “several hundred terrorists” would be freed in exchange for the hostages, with the final number depending on how many of the 33 hostages are alive.
Two sources close to Hamas told AFP that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including those with “lengthy sentences.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages in the second and third phases would be “finalized” during the initial 42 days.
The 33 are among the 94 hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war. The total includes 34 captives the Israeli military has declared dead.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials believe the 33 hostages are alive, though confirmation from Hamas is pending.


Gaza humanitarian situation, by the numbers

  • At least 1.9 million people are displaced
  • 92 percent of housing units are destroyed
  • 68 percent of the road network is destroyed or damaged
  • There are “zero” fuel reserves to operate generators at hospitals
  • 88 percent of school buildings need rebuilding or major repairs
  • Food aid amounting to three months’ of rations for Gaza’s population are waiting to enter

During the initial, 42-day ceasefire Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas to “allow for the swap of prisoners, as well as the swap of remains and the return of the displaced people,” Qatar’s prime minister said.
Negotiations for a second phase would commence on the “16th day” after the first phase’s implementation, an Israeli official said.
This phase would cover the release of the remaining captives, including “male soldiers, men of military age, and the bodies of slain hostages,” the Times of Israel reported.
Israeli media reported that under the proposed deal, Israel would maintain a buffer zone within Gaza during the first phase.
Israeli forces were expected to remain up to “800 meters inside Gaza stretching from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanun in the north,” according to a source close to Hamas.
Israeli forces would not fully withdraw from Gaza until “all hostages are returned,” the Israeli official said.
Haaretz newspaper reported that Israel would allow the movement of residents from southern Gaza to the north.
The source close to Hamas said Israeli forces would withdraw from the Netzarim corridor westward toward Salaheddin Road to the east, enabling displaced people to return through an electronic checkpoint equipped with cameras.
“No Israeli forces will be present, and Palestinian militants will be barred from passing through the checkpoint during the return of displaced persons,” he said.

Joint mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt will monitor the ceasefire deal through a body based in Cairo, Sheikh Mohammed said, urging “calm” in Gaza before the agreement comes into force.
There was “a clear mechanism to negotiate phase two and three,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
“We hope that this will be the last page of the war, and we hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” Qatar’s prime minister said as he unveiled the deal.
Under the arrangements outlined by Qatar, the details of phases two and three will be “finalized” during the implementation of phase one.
US President Joe Biden said the as-yet unfinalized second phase would bring a “permanent end to the war.”
Biden said phase two would comprise an exchange for the release of remaining hostages who are still alive, including the male soldiers. Then all remaining Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, the US president said.
 

 


Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire is still not complete, hours after US and Qatar announce deal

Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire is still not complete, hours after US and Qatar announce deal
Updated 16 January 2025
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Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire is still not complete, hours after US and Qatar announce deal

Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire is still not complete, hours after US and Qatar announce deal
  • ’Final details’ of Gaza deal being worked out, Netanyahu’s office says
  • Mediators will next head to Cairo for talks on implementing the ceasefire

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and final details are being worked out.

“An official statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present,” his office said in a statement released at midnight.

Netanyahu has not said explicitly whether he accepts the deal announced hours earlier by Qatar’s prime minister and President Joe Biden.

In a statement, Netanyahu said he would only issue a formal response “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”

Netanyahu’s statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of hostages to go home. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Egyptian, Qatar and US negotiators will head to Cairo on Thursday for further talks on implementing all aspects of the ceasefire deal, according to a senior US official.

The official said the negotiators are focused on making sure expectations are clear to both Israel and Hamas, and that implementation of the agreement is carried out as smoothly as possible.

The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group after Hamas, hailed the ceasefire deal as “honorable.”

Hamas had needed the group’s support for the deal in order to avoid a potential disruption in the process.

“Today, our people and their resistance imposed an honorable agreement to stop the aggression,” Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement.

The group said the deal between Israel and Hamas includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as well as an “honorable” prisoner exchange. It said that militant groups in Gaza “will remain vigilant to ensure the full implementation of this agreement.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s fighters took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and have since been battling Israeli forces in Gaza.

 

 

Gazans celebrate

Large crowds of joyful Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza when the agreement was announced, cheering and honking car horns.

“No one can feel the feeling that we are experiencing now, an indescribable, indescribable feeling,” said Mahmoud Wadi in central Gaza’s Deir Al-Balah before joining a chanting crowd.

The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.