Gaza Civil Defence reports Israeli strikes after ceasefire deal announced
Mohammed al-Mughayyir, an official with the Gaza Civil Defence, said several Israeli strikes were reported after the announcement that a deal had been reached to end fighting in the enclave, including “a series of intense air strikes” on Gaza City.
“Since the announcement last night of an agreement on a proposed ceasefire framework in Gaza, several explosions have been reported, particularly in areas of northern Gaza,” al-Mughayyir said, according to the AFP news agency.
Israeli army begins ‘operational preparations’ to implement Gaza deal
The Israeli military says that “following the political echelon’s instructions and due to the situational assessment, [the army] has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement”.
“As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon,” the military statement said on Telegram.
The troops continue to be deployed in the area “prepared for any operational development”, it warned.
Hard to ‘square that circle’ of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under deal and previous stated stance
HA Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Al Jazeera earlier that the “crucial point now is how much pressure” will continue, especially on Israel, to ensure the ceasefire holds.
The different phases of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza under the proposed deal are “crucial”, Hellyer said, noting that withdrawing goes against Israel’s long-stated plans for the Palestinian enclave.
“The Israelis have made it very clear that they do not have any intention of withdrawing from the Gaza Strip,” Hellyer said.
“That they intend to ‘maintain overall security control from the river to the sea’,” he said, adding that Israel also rejects the idea of a Palestinian state and the idea of the Palestinian Authority returning to govern Gaza.
“And, of course, they reject Hamas having any role whatsoever. So it’s hard to square that circle,” he added.
