A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip came into force on Sunday after lengthy negotiations, ending hostilities there since Hamas' October attack on Israel.
The ceasefire, reached through an agreement between the two sides, was originally supposed to apply from January 19, at 8:30 a.m. local time. After some delays in providing the required data regarding the hostages, the truce was finally confirmed, and the agreement entered into force at 11:15 local time.
As previously agreed Hamas provided a list of three women who would be the first to be released as part of the hostage exchange. They are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher.
All three The hostages are civilians and their kidnapping took place on October 7 last year. 24-year-old Gonen was kidnapped during a massacre at a music festival held near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. In turn, Damari (28 years old) and veterinarian Steinbrecher (32 years old) were taken from their own apartments. Damari also has British citizenship, and Steinbrecher – Romanian.
The women are scheduled to be released on Sunday after 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Polish time). It was also agreed that the next four living hostages will be released within seven days.
The minister resigns
The truce has caused controversy in Israeli politics – some members of the government do not agree with its decision. Itamar Ben GwirMinister of National Security and one of the most extreme representatives of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, announced that resigns from his position in protest against the agreement with Hamas.
His decision was supported by Jewish Power partywhich withdrew from the government coalitionemphasizing, however, that it will not seek to overthrow the government. Ben Gvir, who had been in favor of escalating hostilities from the beginning of the war, was a strong opponent of any form of compromise with Hamas.
Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. People are returning home, the government is announcing next steps
In turn, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated in a conversation with Reuters journalists that Israel “is determined to achieve its goals in the war in the Gaza Strip,” which include return of hostages and dissolution of Hamas. In his opinion, future peace, stability and mutual security are not possible if Hamas remains in power in the region.
According to AFP, Thousands of displaced residents of the Gaza Strip began returning to their homes on Sunday. Journalists report crowds of Palestinians traveling in trucks, donkey carts and on foot through devastated areas of the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern part of the Palestinian territory. They had been waiting for this moment for over 15 months of the war.