TRANSCRIPT
Celebrations in Tel Aviv...
(Sounds of drumming and cheers)
And in Gaza...
(sounds of cheers)
As Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani announces a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas:
"It is with pleasure that the State of Qatar, Egypt and the United States announce the success of the joint mediation efforts as the two parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip have reached an agreement on the swap of prisoners and hostages, and a return to sustainable calm leading to a permanent ceasefire between the two sides - in addition to bringing in intensified quantities of humanitarian aid and relief to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."
He says the three-phase ceasefire deal will see Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza by the end of the week.
"The agreement will enter into effect on Sunday, January 19th. The exact timing will be identified later. The phase one of the agreement will go on for 42 days, and it'll include a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the east away from populated areas. Israeli forces will then be positioned along the Gaza border, which will allow for the swap of prisoners as well as the swap of remains and the return of the displaced people to their residences."
President Joe Biden says his team and President-elect Donald Trump's have been working together to secure the ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.
"This is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May, exact. And we got the world to endorse it. Secondly, it's America's support for Israel that helped them badly weaken Hamas and its backers and create the conditions for this deal. And thirdly, I knew this deal would have to be implemented by the next team. So I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents do."
In a statement, Hamas credited the ceasefire agreement to the resilience of the Palestinian people.
"The ceasefire agreement is the result of the legendary steadfastness of our great Palestinian people and our heroic resistance in the Gaza Strip over more than 15 months. The ceasefire agreement is an achievement for our people, our resistance, our nation, and the free people of the world. It marks a turning point in the struggle with the enemy on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return."
Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, says his nation had a duty to bring all the hostages home.
"As the President of the State of Israel, I say in the clearest terms: This is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us — whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest."
Any deal still needs to be approved by Israel's Cabinet, and that's expected to happen.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and crimes against humanity, has not spoken or issued a statement since Qatar's prime minister announced a ceasefire deal has been reached.
Prior to the announcement he said final details in the agreement still needed ironing out.
United Nations Secretary-general Antonio Guterres welcomed news of the deal.
"I call on all relevant parties to uphold their commitments and ensure that this deal is fully implemented. Our priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict. It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support."
The Australian government also welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza - and urged all parties to respect its terms and safeguard peace.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will not recognise Palestinian statehood any time soon.
"I can't see any circumstance where that can happen before the election. There hasn't been an election in Gaza or West Bank for almost two decades, and quite clearly, the Palestinians need to have reform as well. Hamas can play no role in a future Palestinian state."
(sound of chants and drumming)
In Tel Aviv, Arnon Cohen says he is dismayed that not all hostages will be released in the first phase of the deal.
"First of all we hear about the deal that's coming on. We are really very happy about it first of all. But, you know, we met during the last days to hear about it. But it comes with, you know, feeling about all the hostages because it's part of them, not all of them. And for us it's only the beginning. We want to them all here, okay. Because it's not ending, it's not enough if just some of them will come."
For father of Hamas hostage Edan Alexander, Adi Alexander, he just wants the ordeal to end.
"I hope the nightmare is over. Whoever is getting the hostages back; and fortunately for the families that are waiting for their loved ones to be buried in Israel, the nightmare is over as well. So, the first reaction, it feels good. We've been close to the... to the deal before, not that close, obviously. And I mean, we embrace it, and we anticipate the release of our son as soon as possible."
Also hoping the nightmare is over, are the Palestinians.
Abu Mohammed is a displaced Gazan from Jabalia whose house was destroyed during the war.
"We don't want the house, we want to sleep restfully, to sleep in peace, the important thing is to sleep restfully. We haven't been able to eat, drink, sleep or sit for a year and 3 months. We pray to God every hour for the war to stop, we want to rest to live in safety. We thank God that we heard good news this hour, thank God."
This is Umm Mohammed.
"Thank God, the Lord of the Worlds, this moment is what we had been hoping for, minute by minute, to stop the flow of death. You know, we were seeing our children being burned, we were seeing our children being eaten by dogs, we were seeing our children while we cried. I’m one of those people who lost all my family. Yes, I want to go back, and my wounds will open again, my heart broken. I lost my family and friends, and I have no one left from my husband’s family. God knows, no house, no stone. But I wish I could return and sit on the stones of my country."
Meanwhile In Jerusalem, around 300 mostly young men, blocked a main road, as they protested the Gaza ceasefire.
They carried placards stating, 'You have no mandate to surrender to Hamas', and 'Release of terrorists -(is) a bloodbath.
According to health authorities in Gaza, the death toll from 15 months of fighting has surpassed 46,700 Palestinians.
Many analysts and rights groups believe the real number killed is far higher.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on tllllhe 7th of October 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250.
