Israel’s Airstrikes in Gaza Claim at Least 70 Lives, Just Hours After Ceasefire Agreement with Hamas

Israel military jet strikes killed at least 70 people in Gaza overnight on Thursday, residents and authorities in the embattled enclave said, just hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced to bring an end to 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

The complex ceasefire accord emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to stop the war that has inflamed the Middle East and caused military clashes between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi and Iran.
 

The deal, scheduled to be implemented on Sunday, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed.

Hostages taken by militant group Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, and a vote by the security cabinet is slated for Thursday, January 16.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court,  accused Hamas of making last-minute demands and going back on agreements.
 

“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
 

Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, senior Hamas official Izzat el-Reshiq said on Thursday.

While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military conducted more attacks, the civil emergency service and residents said.

Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service, said in a statement that 71 Palestinians had been killed and at least 200 others wounded.

At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the agreement.

“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in Washington.
 

His successor, Donald Trump, took office on Monday and claimed credit for the breakthrough in Gaza.

Israel secured major gains over Iran and its proxies, mainly Hezbollah, as the Gaza conflict spread. In Gaza, over 46,000 people have been killed, and the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million has been displaced, according to Gaza authorities.