Sounds of celebration replaced explosions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as a fragile ceasefire took effect after 470 days of war, allowing some hostages to return home to Israel, Palestinians detained in Israel to be freed, and Gazans to be expelled. searching for what was left of their homes.
Under the terms of a hard-won deal, fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants stopped at 11:15 a.m., raising hopes of a permanent end to the war that has gripped the Middle East with fear and uncertainty.
The first hostages – three women who were kidnapped when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 – were released shortly afterwards. Early Monday, Israel’s prison service said it released 90 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, where they were met by jubilant family members.
At the same time, more aid deliveries – more than 630 trucks in one day – entered Gaza.
Joyous Palestinians honked car horns and blasted music in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah, where children ran amok in the streets. Israelis are also celebrating, as captives begin to return, and anxious families await the release of many.
But what brought relief was the knowledge that this phase of the ceasefire would only last 42 days and free some of the hostages, and that major obstacles were expected if it were to be extended. Israel and Hamas reached an agreement in part by deferring their intractable disputes to a dangerous “phase two” that neither side is sure will reach.
As soon as the bombs stopped falling, masked gunmen and uniformed Hamas policemen emerged from their hiding places and exposed themselves on the streets of Gaza. This show of force was unquestionable, showing that even after a major Israeli military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas, the militant group remains the main Palestinian power in Gaza.
On Saturday night, as the ceasefire neared, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reminded enemies and allies alike that the first phase of the deal was temporary and that Israel could return to hostilities if negotiations on the next phase of the agreement were to take place. the shooting stopped.
“We reserve the right to go back to war, if necessary, with the support of the United States,” Mr Netanyahu, whose coalition is deeply divided over the ceasefire, said on television.
Still, regardless of the worries in the weeks and months that followed, there were moments of joy on Sunday.
One of the freed hostages, Emily Damari, was seen smiling leaning out of the open window of the van when she was taken to Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv. Ms. Damari was last seen free 15 months ago, when she was kidnapped from her home in a kibbutz in southern Israel. He was shot in the hand, and was driven away in his own car, with the driver behind the wheel.
A photo of Ms. Damari released by the Israeli military on Sunday showed her smiling, although she is missing two middle fingers on her left hand. All three abductees later reunited with their relatives, cried and held them tightly after more than a year of separation, according to photos released by the Israeli government. Their parents, siblings and friends have been assigned to the international campaign for their freedom.
Under the deal, Hamas will gradually release 33 hostages, and Israel will instead release more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, including those serving life sentences for brutal attacks on Israel. 90 of them – all women and children – were to be released on Sunday.
Friends of the three hostages who were released on Sunday danced, sang, and waved Israeli flags in the air as they gathered at the hospital’s helipad. Gal Kubani, 28, who is a friend of Ms. Damari, said she was “overwhelmed” by the news of her release and “proud of Emily for surviving this madness.”
In Gaza, the celebration was tempered by sadness. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military campaign, according to Gazan health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Much of the area is desolate, and many homeless people have no homes to return to.
Soon after the war ended, waves of displaced Palestinians began heading north, eager to see if any parts of their homes were still standing.
Many people say they are determined to start rebuilding the lives they knew, despite the massive damage around the area. “The joy of returning home is amazing, but mixed with sadness,” said Ahed al-Okka, 52, a builder from Gaza City.
For others like Suhaila Dawaas, a displaced Gazan who said she lost eight relatives in the war, grief overshadowed any hope for the future. Her home was destroyed, although she hoped to find a few reminders of the life her family once had in the rubble.
“I can’t say I’m happy with this agreement,” said Ms Dawaas, 55, a mother of eight. “What is left for us after all that? After endless loss, destruction, pain?”
Drone videos taken in Gaza show people looking at an empty area. Gaza’s congested areas had been reduced to concrete slabs, the roads turned to dust. With an unknown number of bodies still trapped under the rubble, members of the Gaza Civil Emergency Service went to work.
The war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people, Israel said, and taking 250 hostages. Another 100 hostages are still in Gaza, although about a third are believed to be dead.
Israel and Hamas both maintained some of their negotiations. At the end of the first phase of the deal, Hamas will still own about two-thirds of the hostages. And Israel is still occupying parts of Gaza, holding a large number of prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, a terrorist leader and prominent Palestinian politician.
On Sunday, United Nations humanitarian aid trucks began entering Gaza just 15 minutes after the operation began, according to Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN aid office in the Palestinian territories. Months of lawlessness and restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid have reduced aid to a challenge.
Two wagons carrying packages of ready-to-eat food and wheat flour arrived in the area on Sunday, one through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southeast Gaza, and the other through the northern crossing, according to Martin Penner, a United Nations spokesman. ‘ The World Food System. The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to be allowed to deliver aid to Gazans every day, although it was unclear how the supplies would be distributed.
The ceasefire has already opened deep rifts within Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the right-wing national security minister, resigned in opposition to the cabinet and withdrew his Jewish Power party from the coalition on Sunday. The Religious Zionism group, led by Bezalel Smotrich, suggested it would do the same unless Mr. Netanyahu continuing the war after the initial agreement. If that happens, Mr Netanyahu’s government will hold less than half the seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, which could eventually force the government to fall and force new elections.
The diplomatic teams representing President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump played a major role in brokering the truce, and both men boasted about it on Mr. Trump’s final day. Biden in office.
In his remarks in South Carolina, Mr. Biden has defended his continued support for Israel, on the advice of others who warned him it could drag America into a wider war. “Abandoning the courses I was taking would not have led us to the ceasefire we see today,” he said.
Reporting contributed by Adam Rasgon, Nathan Odenheimer, Ephrat Livni, Jonathan Reiss, Gabby Sobelman, Mira Noveck, Vivian Yes, Fatima AbdulKarim again Yan Zhuang.
Source link
