Israel and Hamas Agree to Gaza Cease-Fire Deal, Officials Say. NYTimes. Key points.

January 15, 2025.

1. Cease-Fire Agreement Reached: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire in Gaza after 15 months of war, as confirmed by a senior mediator and two Israeli officials. The deal takes effect immediately.

2. First Phase Duration and Hostage Releases: The first phase of the cease-fire will last six weeks, focusing on hostage releases. However, the start date of these releases remains uncertain.

3. Ratification by Israeli Cabinet: The agreement is pending formal ratification by the Israeli cabinet. Key technical details, including border control issues at the Egypt-Gaza crossing, are unresolved.

4. Hamas Confirms Agreement: Basem Naim, a Hamas official, acknowledged the cease-fire, though Hamas has not yet issued a formal statement.

5. Trump’s Role and Announcement: President-elect Donald Trump claimed credit for advancing the negotiations, announcing the deal on social media and hinting at severe consequences if no agreement was reached before his Jan. 20 inauguration.

6. Diplomatic Mediation: The agreement was mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. Negotiators overcame significant disagreements, including Hamas’s demand for an end to the war and Israel’s initial resistance.

7. Framework Similar to Biden’s Proposal: The cease-fire aligns with a three-phase plan outlined by President Biden in May. This includes a six-week truce, hostage exchanges, and humanitarian aid.

8. Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction: Under the agreement, 600 trucks of humanitarian aid will enter Gaza daily. Additionally, 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents are planned for displaced residents.

9. Right-Wing Opposition in Israel: Hard-line members of Netanyahu’s government oppose the deal, but Foreign Minister Gideon Saar anticipates majority approval in a cabinet vote.

10. Hostage Exchange Details:

Day one: Release of three female hostages.

Day seven: Release of four more hostages.

Next five weeks: Gradual release of 26 additional hostages.

Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in parallel.

11. Public and International Reactions:

Gaza residents expressed cautious relief, with some celebrating despite the destruction of homes.

Senator Chuck Schumer praised the agreement, emphasizing its humanitarian impact and the importance of hostage freedom.

12. Past Cease-Fire Efforts and Failures: The war began in October 2023 after a surprise Hamas attack on Israel. Previous diplomacy, including a brief cease-fire in November 2023, yielded limited progress.

13. Israeli Leadership Briefed: President Isaac Herzog was updated by the Red Cross on logistical challenges for hostage transfers.

14. Comparisons to 1981 Hostage Crisis: The negotiations evoke parallels with Jimmy Carter’s final days in office, though this time, collaboration between outgoing and incoming administrations played a positive role.

Conclusion

The conclusion of this discussion centers on cautious optimism and significant challenges. While the Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement marks a pivotal step toward ending 15 months of devastating conflict, its success depends on several critical factors:

1. Implementation of Hostage Releases and Prisoner Exchanges: Timely execution of the phased hostage and prisoner swaps will be a key measure of progress.

2. Sustained Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction: The provision of humanitarian relief and rebuilding efforts in Gaza must address urgent needs to prevent further humanitarian crises.

3. Political Stability and Consensus in Israel: Ratification and support from Israel’s cabinet, amid internal right-wing opposition, will shape the durability of the cease-fire.

4. Commitment to a Permanent Cease-Fire: Future negotiations for a lasting peace agreement will be crucial, requiring compromises that address core issues of security, sovereignty, and mutual recognition.

5. International Mediation and Support: Continued involvement from mediators like Qatar, Egypt, and the United States will be necessary to manage disputes and ensure compliance.

In summary, the cease-fire offers a hopeful yet fragile path forward. It requires trust-building , careful diplomacy, and a concerted focus on human rights and stability to transition from temporary relief to enduring peace.

Source:

Live Updates: Israel and Hamas Agree to Gaza Cease-Fire Deal, Officials Say https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/15/world/israel-hamas-cease-fire-deal-gaza?smid=nytcore-android-share

Comments

She Stitched Wounds With Empty Hands—And Lost All Nine of Her Children

In Gaza, where the sun rises over ash and broken concrete, where lullabies are drowned by the sound of drones, lived a woman whose hands brought healing to children even as the world around her collapsed. Her name was Dr. Alaa — a pediatrician , a mother , a lifeline in the middle of hell. And she has become a symbol of both the highest form of love and the deepest human suffering. Nine children. All hers. All dead. Killed in a single Israeli airstrike. Not soldiers . Not fighters . Just children — tucked beneath blankets, seeking safety that never came. She was saving children in the hospital when her entire world was bombed out of existence. “ Mama, when will this end?” Her youngest had asked her this just days before the strike . He was five . He used to draw little suns on the wall with crayons , yellow and smiling — a child who believed light could still live here. One of the child of Dr. Alaa. Dr. Alaa hadn’t answered. Because she didn’t know. She hadn’t...

When Two Lives Matter More Than Seventy – A Night of Massacres in Gaza

When Two Lives Matter More Than Seventy On the same night that the world’s media was awash with breaking news about the tragic killing of two foreign diplomats in Washington D.C. by an American citizen—a horrific incident that drew immediate outrage, blanket media coverage, and solemn condemnations from every major capital— something else happened . In Gaza, 70 Palestinians were killed . Seventy human beings. Mothers, fathers, babies in their mother’s arms, and children huddled in fear inside a school they believed would protect them. The Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in Gaza’s Al-Daraj neighborhood was struck by Israeli warplanes. At least 36 displaced people were massacred , their bodies pulled from under the rubble, their lives extinguished without a moment’s pause. And yet, as the world grieves two diplomats, it forgets seventy Palestinians in a single night. Mainstream outlets offered wall-to-wall coverage of the Washington incident: live updates, expert panels, somber editorials....

Shot While Starving: Gaza’s Desperate March Toward Death.

"A Famine By Design: The Engineered Starvation and Killing Fields of Gaza" “It was like a battlefield full of blood and injured — everyone was lying on the ground, everyone screaming and everyone shouting.” — Jamal Azzam, nurse, Red Cross Hospital in Rafah On Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers opened fire near a food distribution site in Rafah, southern Gaza, killing at least 27 Palestinians. It was the second such massacre in just three days . Only two days prior, 23 more were gunned down at the same location — a place that should have offered hope , not horror . The victims? Not militants . Not armed men. But starving civilians , many of them walking miles in the dark hoping to secure a single box of food . Their only crime was approaching aid, too hungry to wait. This is not war. This is calculated cruelty . 🔻 A System Designed to Fail — and to Kill The killings are the latest bloodshed under a new, deeply controversial food distribution system , jointly ...

Trump’s Gaza Plan and the Arab Autocrats: Displacement, Deals, and Betrayal

The Trump administration’s reported plan to forcibly relocate up to 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya or Syria is more than a policy proposal—it is a geopolitical earthquake. It signals a dangerous shift toward normalizing permanent ethnic displacement under the guise of reconstruction. 1. What Is Trump’s Gaza “Solution”? Mass Deportation : Trump argues that Gaza is no longer livable and suggests relocating its population permanently—starting with Libya and possibly post-Assad Syria. Bribing the Host : Libya would receive access to billions in frozen funds in exchange for hosting Palestinians. Buying Consent : Trump suggests offering Palestinians housing and stipends to “incentivize” their exile. Fantasy Development : He wants to rebuild Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East”—without its native population. This plan, if implemented, would be a modern-day Nakba , violating international law and the principle of the right to return. 2. Why Are Arab Autocracies Qu...

The Body Is Failing, and So Is Humanity: Gaza’s Final Cry.

When Food Is No Longer Enough: Gaza’s Descent Into Clinical Starvation “We are reaching a point where children and adults won’t be saved with pallets of food dropped from planes.” — Jake Wood , humanitarian leader and former head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 🔥 Gaza Is Starving — And We’ve Let It Happen Gaza is not just facing hunger. It is collapsing into famine —and the world is watching in silence. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) , 100% of Gaza’s population is now at risk of famine . Every single man, woman, and child. This is not a statistic. It’s a death sentence delivered in slow motion. 🩸 Ketones in the Urine. Organs Shutting Down. Hope Evaporating. Children in Gaza are now excreting ketones —a biochemical scream from a starving body. It means they’ve burned through fat reserves. Their bodies are consuming themselves. You can’t fix that with a bag of flour. What they need now is clinica...

Ainnbeen

Search This Blog