Deaths in Israeli strikes on Gaza rise to 77 since ceasefire deal
Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 77 people in Gaza overnight on January 16th, according to authorities and residents of the enclave, just hours after a ceasefire deal was announced which would see the end of 15-month war between Israel and Hamas.
The ceasefire agreement was announced on January 15th following intervention from Qatar, Egypt and the US to end the war that has destroyed the coastal territory, Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters reported.
The deal, which is due to take effect from January 19th, outlines an preliminarily ceasefire of six weeks with the gradual removal of Israeli forces from the Gaza strip. The hostages taken by Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners who have been kept in Israel.
Rows of aid trucks were in Egypt’s border town of El-Arish, awaiting the reopening of the border, to be able to enter Gaza.
Israel’s approval of the deal would not be official until it is approved by the security cabinet and government of the country, and a vote had been expected for January 16th, according to an Israeli official.
But Benjamin Netanyahu had postponed the meeting, claiming Hamas had made demands at the last-minute and changed its decision in light of the agreements made.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said: “The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
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Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said on January 16th the group commits to the agreement which mediators announced on January 15th.
According to a US official who spoke on the condition that he remains anonymous, the envoys of President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump were with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Doha in a bid to find a solution to the final dispute, Reuters reported.
The dispute concerns the identities of prisoners, which Hamas wanted to be freed.
Some Israelis in Jerusalem marched on the streets, holding mock coffins, in opposition to the ceasefire, obstructing roads and fighting with the police.
But Palestinians in the Gaza strip celebrated on January 15th, over the news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to Reuters.
On January 6th, The National reported that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is possible over the next two weeks.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Reuters
