Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in the evening. There is a statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu's office
The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into force on Thursday evening, after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement is officially accepted by the Israeli government, said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli government is scheduled to meet at 18 (5 p.m. in Poland).
Hamas representative Osama Hamda told Qatari media that Israeli troops will withdraw from the largest cities of the Gaza Strip on Friday: Rafah, Khan Yunus and Gaza, which will allow the group's fighters to prepare to hand over the Israeli hostages.
On Wednesday evening, Israel and Hamas approved the first stage of the US peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the agreement assumes a suspension of fighting, the release of Israeli hostages, a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops and an increase in the inflow of humanitarian aid.
The Israeli army announced the suspension of offensive operations on Friday, but according to the media and residents, the Gaza Strip was still under attack and Palestinians were still dying in the fighting.
On Thursday morning, the military warned residents of the Gaza Strip that the north is still a zone of military operations and refugees who have left the area should not return for now.
The army said more than 500 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, almost twice the recent average. According to the UN, 600 transports should cross the border daily.
The media reported earlier that the ceasefire would begin after the parties signed an agreement, which was to happen in Egypt at 12 local time (11 a.m. in Poland).
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing since Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, mediated by representatives of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the USA. All parties sent high-ranking representatives to the negotiations.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi spoke at noon on Thursday, calling the adoption of the ceasefire a “historic moment” that not only ends the war in the Gaza Strip but gives hope for a stable and just future for the entire region.
Further provisions of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan include: the laying down of arms by Hamas and the transfer of power in the enclave to a Palestinian interim administration under international supervision, as well as the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Trump's plan was supported by Arab and Western countries, but it contains several general and unclear provisions. Egypt and Qatar have previously indicated that they require further clarification.
Sensitive issues that may pose a problem in negotiations included: no timetable for Israeli troops leaving the Gaza Strip and Hamas disarming, or a vague promise to create a Palestinian state. It is unclear whether these issues have already been settled between the parties.
In Israel, the news about the conclusion of the agreement was received with universal joy and enthusiasm. Since the morning, people celebrating the agreement have been gathering in one of Tel Aviv's squares, called Hostage Square. The place is the main meeting point for families of hostages taken 734 days ago.
Forty-seven Israeli hostages remain in the Gaza Strip after being kidnapped in an attack on October 7, 2023. The army says at least 20 of them are still alive. Hamas also holds the body of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Israeli currency, the shekel, strengthened against the dollar to its highest level since August 2022. The main index of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, TA-125, rose by 2.8% on Thursday. reaching the highest value in history.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip also celebrated the truce by taking to the streets, singing and waving Palestinian flags.
“When I heard this news, I couldn't help but cry, two years of bombings, terror, destruction, losses, humiliation, the feeling that you could die at any moment (…) now we finally feel that we will be able to breathe,” said one of the residents of the Gaza Strip, quoted by AFP.
The war in the Gaza Strip has been going on since October 7, 2023, when Hamas, which rules the territory, attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. According to the Hamas-controlled authorities, over 67,100 people were killed in Israeli retaliation. Palestinians.
From Jerusalem Jerzy Adamiak (PAP)
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