After fifteen months of war in the Gaza Strip, Israel announced on Sunday January 19, 2025 the entry into force of the ceasefire with Hamas, with nearly three hours of delay linked to the publication by Hamas of the names of the hostages to be released during the day.
This implementation, on the eve of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, of the agreement concluded on Wednesday January 15 raises the hope of a lasting peace in the Palestinian territory, Israel having however already reserved the right to take up arms again.
Under the agreement, the guns were to fall silent at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday, but, citing Hamas’s delay in identifying the first group of hostages for release that day, Israel carried out new strikes in Gaza which left eight dead, according to local Civil Defense.
Hamas then announced that it had published the names of the three Israeli women released during the day, and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately announced the entry into force of the ceasefire at 11:15 a.m. (9:15 a.m. GMT). Hamas justified its delay by “complications on the ground and continued bombing”.
Early in the morning, many Palestinians in Gaza took to the streets to cheer the truce, appearing unaware of a delay, with some displaced already setting out to return home. “We spent the night gathering our things and were on our way home when we heard the sound of bombing”testified before the effective start of the truce Mohammad Baraka, a displaced person in the south of Gaza.
Warning from Netanyahu, Ben Gvir leaves the coalition
The agreement aims, ultimately, according to Qatar, to lead to the “final end” of the war, triggered by the bloody attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. But Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday January 18 that it was “a provisional ceasefire” and that his country kept itself “the right to resume the war if necessary and with the support of the United States”.
Hostile to the truce agreement, the party of Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir (far right) announced that it was leaving Netanyahu’s coalition, whose government still retains a narrow majority in Parliament.
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