The president of the United States, Donald Trumpcloses the war in Gaza with the signing of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. But the ceasefire will not take effect for 24 hours until the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it to a vote and get approval from your cabinet.
The text, signed in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, contemplates the immediate cessation of hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. The plan takes as a reference point the 20 points attributed to Trump to end a war that has just turned two years old. When the Islamists entered Israel, they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250.
The US president has assured at the White House that he hopes to attend the ratification ceremony in Egypt and trusts that the pact will serve as “the first step towards lasting peace.” Trump added that The hostages “will be released on Monday or Tuesday”a gesture he described as “a day of joy.”
When will the truce begin? It depends on the success of Netanyahu’s meeting with his cabinet. The forecast is that it will obtain majority support, although not unanimous, since the ministers Itamar Ben True y Bezalel Smotrich They have announced their rejection. Both maintain that the pact does not guarantee the definitive dissolution of Hamas or the future security of the country.
Smotrich expressed his “immense fear of the consequences of emptying the prisons and freeing the leaders of terrorism.” He added that he will not participate in “short-term celebrations” as long as the Islamist organization retains power.
The agreed document establishes that, in the first 24 hours after its entry into force, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw to the agreed line. Currently, the army controls more than 75% of the Palestinian enclave. With the implementation of the ceasefire, will dominate around 53%which includes the Philadelphia Corridor – the strip bordering Egypt -, the urban areas of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, the outskirts of Gaza City and large areas of Rafah and Khan Younis.
Hamas, for its part, plans to release the 20 hostages who are still alive within 72 hours after the start of the ceasefire. The others, 26 in total, are considered deceased, and the recovery of their bodies could be prolonged. Osama Hamdana member of the political office of the Islamist group, announced on the Qatari channel Al-Araby that the handover of the captives could take place next Monday.
Which Palestinians will Israel liberate?
Talks on the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released remain open. Israel has ruled out releasing Marwan Barghoutiemblematic figure of the Second Intifada, sentenced to five life sentences, as well as other leaders such as Ibrahim Hamed, Abdulla Sharhuti y Ahmad Saadat.
Nor will he deliver the remains of Yahya Sinwarconsidered the main person responsible for the attack on October 7, 2023, nor those of his brother Mohamed, both killed in Rafá last year.
The pact also provides for the massive entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Dozens of trucks with food, medicine and medical supplies will be able to access the enclave in the coming days.
News of the agreement was greeted with relief in both Gaza and Israel. “Thank God for the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed,” Khan Yunis resident Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo told Reuters. In Tel Aviv, Einav Zaugauker, mother of one of the hostages, confessed through tears: “I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I feel… it’s incredible”.
Enthusiasm does not overshadow doubts about the political future of the Palestinian territory. The reconstruction plan and administration of Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal have not yet been finalized. The United States, Egypt, France and other Arab countries discussed this Thursday in Paris the possibility of deploying an international peacekeeping force and coordinating reconstruction aid.