Doha, Jan 19 (IANS) Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, met here on Sunday with a delegation from Palestinian factions to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
According to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the discussions focused on the progress and key dimensions of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, including the exchange of prisoners and detainees, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the return of displaced individuals to their areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
Al Thani emphasised the importance of ensuring the full implementation of the agreement to achieve sustainable peace and stability in the region.
He also reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to supporting the people of Gaza by continuing the airlift of humanitarian aid as outlined in the agreement.
In addition, the prime minister reiterated Qatar’s steadfast position on the justice of the Palestinian cause, the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, a tense ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday, initiating six weeks of calm and raising hopes for an end to 15 months of Israeli assaults on Gaza that devastated the enclave and for the release of dozens of hostages held there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the ceasefire by nearly three hours after Hamas missed an 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) deadline to submit the names of the first three hostages to be released later in the day. Hamas cited technical reasons for the delay but later provided the list, Xinhua news agency reported.
At 11:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT), the Israeli military ordered its units in Gaza to cease fire, marking the start of the truce brokered after about a year of mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
An Israeli official confirmed the names of the hostages: Emily Damari, 28, a British-Israeli; Doron Steinbrecher, 30, a veterinary nurse; and Romi Gonen, 23, abducted from the Nova music festival.
They will be transferred to the Red Cross and then to a military compound near the Gaza border before being transported to Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, where they will reunite with their families. The hospital said isolated areas were prepared for them where they could begin recovering in privacy.
In exchange, Israel is expected to release on Sunday about 90 Palestinian detainees from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, primarily women and minors.
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded Gaza until the final moments before the ceasefire. The Israeli military claimed its strikes targeted militants, while Gaza’s health authorities reported at least 14 deaths and 25 injuries in the last day of fighting. Black plumes of smoke rose over northern Gaza as airstrikes continued.
Broadcasts from Gaza showed Palestinians walking freely in the streets for the first time after a previous truce collapsed in late 2023, waving flags and celebrating. Aid trucks were seen entering the enclave, providing much-needed flour and other products to the population.
In northern Gaza’s Jabalia and Rafah, displaced residents returned to scenes of widespread devastation, with razed buildings and infrastructure reduced to rubble. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents were displaced multiple times during the conflict.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported a death toll of 46,913, with 110,750 injured in the Israeli strikes since October 2023.
In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered in Hostage Square to show solidarity with the families of those still held in Gaza and to urge the Israeli government to adhere to the ceasefire agreement. A large digital clock displayed the duration of the hostages’ captivity since their abduction in Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others. So far, almost 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israel estimating that half are still alive.
–IANS
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