Gaza: celebration erupts following Qatari-brokered ceasefire deal

Celebrations have erupted on the streets of Gaza following the Qatari-brokered ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, signaling a temporary end to violence.

The Middle East Monitor reported on January 15^th that Palestinians were beating tambourines, dancing, clapping and chanting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) on the street in Khan Yunis, a southern enclave in Gaza.

The ceasefire, brokered in the Qatari capital of Doha, outlines a six-week initial phase which includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and also the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees.

According to the Middle East Monitor, there will be 33 Israeli captives released for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. Neither side have released the details of the captives being exchanged, including names or mortality status.

Hamas have described the ceasefire agreement, which is expected to come into effect on Sunday, as a “turning point in the fight against the Israeli occupation”.

They also noted “this agreement comes as part of our responsibility towards our patient steadfast people in the honorable Gaza Strip, to stop the Zionist aggression against them, and put an end to the bloodshed, massacres and genocidal war”.

The ceasefire follows a 14-month Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip which has killed over 46,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, after the Hamas attack on an Israeli settlement in October 2023.

However, according to the Middle East Monitor,  helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

The formal, clarified agreement is yet to be made public and the implementation of the ceasefire on Sunday remains to be seen, but hope in the Gaza Strip remains high as celebrations continue.

Middle East Monitor