A much-awaited ceasefire has come into effect following 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, that turned much Gaza to rubble.
The ceasefire came into effect at 11:15am local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday, January 19, 2025, after Hamas handed over a list of three female captives to be released as part of the deal to Israel through mediators.
Abu Obeida, Spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on Sunday, “As part of the prisoner exchange deal we decided to release today: Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31.”
Israeli authorities confirmed that they have received the list.
The announcement potentially clears the way for the truce – scheduled to start at 8:30am local time (06:30 GMT) – to begin after an hours-long delay.
Later, Hamas handed three hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza City.
The Red Cross transferred the hostages to the Israeli military in Gaza, who will bring Gonen, Steinbrecher and Damari out of Gaza to Israel.
The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 captives returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel.
Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.
This is going to be only the second halt in the war, proposed to be longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause more than a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in about two weeks. Key questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 captives in Gaza will be freed.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military not to begin the ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas issues the names of the captives to be released.
In a related development, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party announced it was leaving the country’s ruling coalition in protest at what it called the “scandalous” ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
In a statement, Jewish Power called the ceasefire deal a “capitulation to Hamas” and denounced what it called the “release of hundreds of murderers” and the “renouncing of the [Israeli military’s] achievements in the war” in Gaza.
Netanyahu retains a slim majority in the Israeli parliament despite their resignation.
Hope Expressed For Lasting Peace
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi noted that a durable ceasefire “will bring immense relief to devastated Gaza.”
“We rejoice with all those for whom the nightmare is over. But we must also trust that it leads to serious negotiations and to just, lasting peace for both peoples, so that no more ceasefires will be needed.”
Filippo Grandi
Martin Griffiths, who served as the United Nations’ Emergency Relief Chief, stressed that it is crucial to find a clearly established “pathway to peace” as the Gaza truce takes hold.
“We don’t have that yet in this agreement. We have the prospect of it, but we have a lot of countervailing voices about whether we’re going to go to phase two, let alone phase three. We know the political future of the people of Palestine has to include governance by Palestinians, the commitment of the region, and the voice of the people.”
Martin Griffiths
He stated that in the future, when there will be many ceasefire breaches, “there needs to be a procedure whereby the parties discuss it with the mediators, some accountability, and then hopefully not allowing a breach to become a termination.”
He added, “Knowing there’s a process to keep us informed – the world and the Palestinian people – is essential to keeping hope going, and we need to hear much more about that in the coming days.”
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