Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire
The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, says it has agreed to a four-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip. The movement says the truce agreement, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, includes the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian prisoners held by the regime.
Hamas announced that 50 Israeli captives were to be released in exchange for the freedom of 150 Palestinian women and children.
Under the agreement, hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid, including fuel and medicine, will be brought to all areas of the Gaza Strip.
During the truce, the Israeli regime is to refrain from arresting or attacking anyone all across the besieged Palestinian territory.
Air traffic will completely stop during the truce in the south of the Gaza Strip. In the north, however, air traffic will stop for six hours a day.
I think the concept is understood by all the Palestinian people, but now, it is Israel’s turn to follow the steps, in the end, we all know that the Israelis never abided by any agreement.
Palestinian Citizen
This will be significant for humanitarian aid because it will allow for a large number of humanitarian aid trucks and convoys to enter the Gaza Strip. But I must add that the number of humanitarian aid, or the amount of that aid, that's going to be allowed in is nowhere close to what was the regular, let's say, flow of humanitarian aid.
Anas Iqtait, Lecturer, Australian National University
Israel's cabinet has also voted in favor of the agreement. The war cabinet has reportedly been split on the issue for weeks.
Some hard-line figures believe that Israel's relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip was the best way to weaken Hamas and free the captives.
Others believe that Israel must get what it can now, no matter how unsatisfactory it may be.
Israel is failing militarily and that's why it's in agony and it wants a ceasefire to reset because its ground invading forces are failing on the ground.
Rasha Reslan, Journalist
The agreement would reflect a change of course by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his war cabinet.
At the beginning of the war, Netanyahu announced that he was pursuing two main objectives from the war.
The regime was trying to isolate and eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governing capabilities.
Netanyahu had also promised to protect Israel from Gaza-based threats and attacks. Furthermore, he said his cabinet would free the captives without compromising its stance on the Hamas resistance movement.
However, none of those objectives have been realized.
It is true that Hamas has suffered some casualties, but its military capabilities, including its network of bunkers and tunnels, as well as its ability to launch retaliatory attacks on Israeli forces have largely been left untouched.
Hamas and the resistance ideology is deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Tel Aviv had to abandon its uncompromising stance with regard to the captives and was ultimately forced to strike a deal with Hamas in order to secure their release.
Well absolutely, I don't think that the Israelis would have accepted to go into this kind of a truce without being dealt devastating blows by the resistance and by Hamas. Of course the Israelis found themselves unable to achieve anything on ground and they saw that this is a good thing for them to do. They are not doing it for the sake of humanity.
Ibrahim Al-Moussawi, Lebanese MP
We can see from their statements in the Israeli Knesset that any truce would be a concession and that proves that they have achieved nothing. But that's not enough. Despite the truth, all forms of resistance must continue.
Ogarite Dandache, Commentator
Netanyahu's shift may have been a consequence of his personal encounter with the families of the captives held by the resistance after weeks of having refused to meet them.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have lost the trust and confidence of most voters.
Gather here in request, that the one to be blamed is our Prime Minister, that he has to go down and leave his office and let another government to rule in Israel and try to make it better.
Anti Netanyahu Protest, Tel Aviv
Internationally, the regime has also come under immense pressure. Thousands of people have held countless rallies against the Israeli regime, and it's blockade of Gaza, amid calls for Netanyahu to be brought before the International Criminal Court and held accountable for the growing genocide in Gaza.
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