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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 5 hours ago

Hamas tells Al Jazeera it has approved ceasefire proposal

The Palestinian group has told Al Jazeera Arabic that a delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, handed Hamas’s approval of the proposed ceasefire and captives deal to the mediators in Qatar and Egypt.


Qatar PM met Hamas, Israeli delegations

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met with negotiators from Hamas and Israel in an effort to secure a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic.

The sources said that, under the proposed deal, Qatar and Egypt will be supervising the return of the displaced from the southern Gaza Strip to the north. The Israeli army would withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza in stages.

Hamas also requested that the Israeli army withdraw during the first stage of the agreement to an area within 700 metres (2,297 feet) from the Gaza border, the sources said.


Israeli government expected to vote on Gaza deal by Thursday, FM says

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting his visit to Europe short on Wednesday so that he could take part in security cabinet and government votes on a Gaza captive release and ceasefire deal.

“Following the progress in the hostage release negotiations, Minister Saar cut short his diplomatic visit, which was scheduled to continue tomorrow in Hungary,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“He will return to Israel tonight to participate in the expected discussions and votes in the Security Cabinet and government.”


Palestinians warned against approaching areas in Gaza with Israeli forces

The Palestinian Civil Defence has called on residents to stay away from areas in Gaza with an Israeli military presence until the details of the possible ceasefire are known and implemented.

“To our beloved Palestinian people in Gaza, for your own safety – amid talks of a looming ceasefire in the Gaza Strip – we warn you against approaching areas where the Israeli occupation forces are present,” Mahmoud Basal, the rescue agency’s spokesperson, said in a statement.


Gaza authorities issue directives for residents amid possible deal

The Gaza Government Media Office has released a list of guidelines for residents amid talks of a looming ceasefire in the territory:

  • Avoid spreading rumours and unconfirmed information for the safety of our Palestinian people and families.
  • Be careful while moving and only rely on official sources for information about the return of displaced people to their homes in Gaza City and the North Governorate.
  • Stay away from devastated areas that are seeing heavy bombardment.
  • Avoid destroyed homes that have been bombed.
  • Stay away from unexploded bombs and war remnants and inform authorities about them immediately.
  • Be careful with daily movement and avoid large gatherings.


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SvennoJ 5 hours ago

‘We have a deal,’ Trump says

US President-elect Donald Trump says a ceasefire deal has been reached in Gaza.

“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East,” he said on the social media platform Truth Social.

“They will be released shortly. Thank you!”

No official statement has yet confirmed that such a deal has been reached.


Outlines of the first stage of the looming Gaza deal

Sources have shared details with Al Jazeera Arabic about a possible looming ceasefire in Gaza. In the first stage:

  • The Israeli military will withdraw to within 700 metres (2,297 feet) inside Gaza.
  • Israel will release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences.
  • Palestinian groups will release 33 Israeli captives.
  • Israel will allow injured people in Gaza to travel to receive medical treatment.
  • Israel will open the Rafah crossing with Egypt seven days after the start of the first stage.
  • Israeli forces will begin to pull back from Gaza’s border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, to withdraw from it completely in later stages.


Israel’s president meets head of Red Cross amid preparations for captive deal

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has met with International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric and her team, who are visiting Israel as part of preparations for the captive-exchange deal, Herzog’s spokesperson has said in a statement.

Herzog emphasised the utmost importance and sensitivity of this mission, according to the statement.

The ICRC team briefed Herzog on the preparations for the transfer of the captives and the various challenges involved.



SvennoJ 5 hours ago

Ceasefire deal going to be ‘very, very fragile’

This is a phased process and all of this is going to be very, very fragile. US President-elect Donald Trump is making it seem like it’s going to be very, very simple — but it’s not.

We understand that there are three phases to this process; it’s a very, very drawn-out process. This is not something that’s going to be completed, as the president-elect said, just like that.


US will be key to ceasefire agreement’s success

That’s because of the staunch military and diplomatic support Washington has provided to Israel, its top Middle East ally, said Sultan Barakat, a public policy professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

“The US is the supply line of this war. So if they are serious about guaranteeing this agreement, they can see it through,” Barakat told Al Jazeera. “They can start by turning off the tap to Israel in terms of supplies, cash, et cetera … There is a lot in their hands.”

Barakat added that the ceasefire deal comes after US President-elect Donald Trump — who will take office on Monday of next week — gave Israel and Hamas an ultimatum to end the conflict before he enters the White House.

“Israel will take [Trump] very, very seriously because he has a very heavy domestic agenda within the United States. He’s got a lot of international issues [on his plate ] … so his priorities are very different from Biden,” Barakat said.


Optimism around Gaza ceasefire must be cautious

Talk of an upcoming ceasefire deal in Gaza must be treated with caution, especially as the implementation of the terms will be fraught with difficulties, Al Jazeera Senior Analyst Marwan Bishara has said.

According to the details of the putative deal that have so far emerged, “there are multiple things that need to happen simultaneously – the humanitarian aid, the exchange of prisoners and captives, the movement of people back to their homes and all the rest”, Bishara said.

This adds to other issues including, for example, clearing out tonnes of debris containing the remains of an estimated 10,000-12,000 missing people. “These are the kind of challenges we will face moving forward in Gaza,” the analyst said.


Netanyahu agreed to ceasefire because Israel ‘imploding internally’

Ori Goldberg, a political commentator in Tel Aviv, says the Israeli prime minister accepted the deal now — 15 months after the Gaza war began — because “Israel is imploding internally”.

“Prices are rising every day. There’s an unbelievable brain drain. Public institutions are crumbling. The infrastructure is collapsing. Israel is in probably the worst condition it has been since it was founded,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera.

“Netanyahu knew that this had an expiration date, and the expiration date is now.”



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Palestinians in tears in central Gaza amid hopes for end to war

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud says Palestinians have been pouring into the streets to welcome news of the ceasefire deal.

The overwhelming feeling is one of happiness, Mahmoud reported.

“This is a larger crowd than we expected,” he said from the courtyard of a Deir el-Balah hospital. “Much of the feelings here that we’re seeing were suppressed for the past 15 months as the intense bombing campaign” left people in a state of uncertainty and fear, Mahmoud said.

“We’re seeing these repressed feelings coming to the surface now,” he said. “We’re seeing people in tears. We’re seeing mothers here, who live in tents near the hospital … hugging and kissing their children, thanking God that they have survived.”


Palestinians in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, react to news reports that a ceasefire deal has been agreed to by Israel and Hamas


Trump takes credit for brokering Gaza ceasefire deal

US President-elect Donald Trump has taken credit for brokering an “epic” ceasefire agreement in Gaza, saying the breakthrough only happened as a “result of our Historic Victory” in the November 2024 presidential election.

Trump said on his Truth Social network that the deal, which has yet to be officially confirmed, “signalled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies”.

“We have achieved so much without even being in the White House,” he said. “Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!”

Trump is set to give his inaugural address on January 20. In recent days, outgoing President Joe Biden also appeared to take credit for the possible deal, saying the current proposal was largely the same as one his team put forward in May.


Israel says ‘unresolved’ issues remain in Gaza deal

Netanyahu’s office says a ceasefire deal in Gaza has not been finalised but suggests that the final details could be resolved in the coming hours.

“Several clauses in the framework remain unresolved, and we hope that the details will be finalised tonight,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement.

“Due to the strong insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas folded on its last-minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor. However, several items in the framework have yet to be finalised; we hope that the details will be finalised tonight.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Without post-conflict plan for Gaza, Hamas will grow back: Blinken

Hamas has recruited almost as many new fighters as it has lost in its 16-month full-scale war with Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Washington’s top diplomat made the assertion during a speech on Tuesday in which he reiterated the Biden administration’s stance that Hamas cannot be defeated by “a military campaign alone”.

The comments come amid hope that a ceasefire deal is close. However, plans for the post-conflict period remain vague amid complex and competing ambitions.

“Without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas, or something just as abhorrent and dangerous, will grow back,” Blinken told the Atlantic Council think tank.


Former UN aid chief says humanitarian deliveries weak point in proposed Gaza ceasefire

Former UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has expressed concern that the “very ambitious levels” of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza set in the ceasefire currently being discussed may not be sustainable and could undermine its stability.

In the first phase of a ceasefire, it has been suggested that aid entry to Gaza could be ramped up to about 600 trucks of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies each day to alleviate its humanitarian crisis.

Similar to the ceasefire brokered in November 2023, the current proposal has set levels of humanitarian aid delivery that “would be very difficult to reach”, Griffiths told Al Jazeera in a televised interview in Doha.

“The worry is that people are being promised something they won’t get and that this will lead to a dive in morale,” the UN official said. Additionally, setting the delivery of aid as a condition means that if these levels are not respected, the whole agreement might collapse.

“We already know that [these levels are] impossible to reach, so this is a major threat to the deal.”


US Palestinian advocacy group calls for accountability after ceasefire

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) says the “era of Israel’s impunity must now come to a swift end” after a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

“Every perpetrator must be held accountable at the Hague, including the Biden administration officials who funded and enabled acts of genocide,” Ahmad Abuznaid, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Every displaced Palestinian must be ensured the right to return to their home and land. Rebuilding and humanitarian aid must proceed with the greatest urgency amid genocidal conditions. That will require ending Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza and military occupation of Palestine.”



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SvennoJ 4 hours ago

It’s time to address ‘what will happen after ceasefire’ in Gaza: Norway’s top diplomat

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has delivered remarks in Oslo on a global diplomatic initiative towards Palestinian statehood and institution-building.

“We are meeting a pivotal time,” Eide said. “There are very serious signs of a possibly imminent ceasefire in Gaza. We will not celebrate before it’s there, but the messages we are getting from all sides are way more concrete and promising than what we’ve heard before.”

However, “a ceasefire is not a solution”, he said.

“A ceasefire means a very welcome release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of troops … This would be very good, but it’s not a solution because there’s no way to turn the clock back to October 6, 2023,” Eide said.

He added, “We need to recognise that it is really the moment to dive into what will happen next.”


Atrocities against Palestinians ‘could and should have been prevented’: Palestinian PM

Speaking in Oslo at a meeting on the future of Palestinian statehood, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says that recognising the State of Palestine is “a courageous practical step that brings us closer to the realisation of a just and lasting peace” in the Middle East.

He also said the atrocities being carried out against Palestinians was “an international failure to protect fundamental rights”. “They could and should have been prevented,” Mustafa added.

Mustafa also made these key points:

  • “Urgent unified international actions” are needed to protect the work of UNRWA, UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, which faces an Israeli ban coming into force in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
  • “The time has come to take practical measures that advance the two-state solution, address the root causes of this conflict and directly confront the legality of the Israeli occupation and its ongoing violation of international law.”
  • “While we are waiting for a ceasefire [in Gaza], it is important to stress that it will not be acceptable for any entity to govern Gaza but the legitimate Palestinian leadership and the government of the State of Palestine.”


Mustafa outlines Palestinian Authority’s post-war vision for reconstruction, growth

Mustafa outlined four of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) main objectives to unify and rebuild Palestine.

  • Following a ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian government in Ramallah “is ready to assume full responsibility for Gaza and work with our local, regional and international partners in integrating governments across all Palestinian territories”, the Palestinian prime minister said.
  • To ensure principles of transparency, accountability, inclusivity and the rule of law. The PA will “continue to engage with civil society, local communities and international partners to build a governance framework that reflects aspirations of Palestinian people”, he said.
  • To lead in partnership with the international community and “by addressing urgent humanitarian needs, restoring critical infrastructure and mobilising resources for long-term rebuilding”.
  • Implement strategic development initiatives to revitalise the Palestinian economy, create jobs and promote inclusive, sustainable growth, he added.


Forging ‘brighter future’ for Palestine is ‘our shared responsibility’: Mustafa

Mustafa expressed hope that after decades of occupation, Palestine and the region will see a “brighter future”.

“It is our shared responsibility to help realise that hope,” he said in closing remarks. “Together, we can shape a future where justice triumphs over oppression, where peace supplants violence and where the Palestinian people and indeed all people across the region live in freedom and dignity,” Mustafa said.

“Let us rise to this challenge with courage, compassion and unwavering resolve.”


Symbolism at Oslo conference ‘difficult to translate to reality on the ground’

About 85 countries are coming together to discuss the two-state solution in Oslo’s City Hall.

This is where in 1994, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to [Israel’s] Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for their efforts in trying to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Just before the opening statements, I asked the Norwegian foreign minister [Espen Barth Eide] and Palestinian prime minister [Mohammad Mustafa], how you can turn a very important dialogue into a change on the ground.

They both said it had to do with the pressure of the international community, that the cycle of violence will continue if the underlying issues are not addressed – the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and the Palestinian people.

The symbolism here is that the dialogue continues, that you have countries from across continents coming together to discuss and to say that this is important – a solution needs to be made to the conflict and that is for Israel and Palestinians to live peacefully side by side.

Of course, this symbolism is difficult to translate to reality on the ground.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Mediators say Gaza ceasefire agreed

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have announced that mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza have succeeded.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani made the announcement, saying that the deal will lead to the release of Israeli captives and surging humanitarian aid to Gaza.


Biden confirms deal reached

The outgoing US president says “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy” led to the agreement.

“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden said in a statement, noting that he put forward “the precise contours” of the plan in May of last year.

“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

Critics have slammed the Biden administration for failing to condition US aid to Israel in order to pressure the top American ally to agree sooner to end its war on Gaza. The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually, and researchers at Brown University recently estimated that the Biden administration provided an additional $17.9bn since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

Ceasefire in Gaza to start on Sunday: Qatar PM

The ceasefire in Gaza will take effect on Sunday, January 19, Qatar’s prime minister has said in his press conference. He added that talks were continuing with Israel and Hamas on the implementation of the deal.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Will Israel implement all parts of the deal if Gaza captives are returned?

As details of the Gaza ceasefire emerge, some observers have expressed concerns that Israel might lose interest in maintaining a deal once it obtains the release of the captives held by Hamas.

“If reports are to be believed, then Israel will not get back all of its hostages until it pulls out of Gaza and essentially ends the war,” Dan Perry, Tel-Aviv based political analyst, told Al Jazeera. “I would not expect that Trump would look kindly to Israel pulling out of implementing the second and third phase of the deal.”

Additionally, “in Israel the discourse around this is that the war is being ended in exchange for the release of the hostages. That’s how it’s being understood and it’s supported by around three quarters of the people. It would be complex for [Netanyahu] to try and walk away from this,” Perry added.


‘Huge challenges’ ahead for UN in delivering aid to Gaza

The United Nations is in a very interesting position on what they’re going to do now going forward.

As we know, part of the deal is that aid is going to be allowed in and that is absolutely vital – getting aid across Gaza, particularly to northern Gaza, which has had that siege under way … for such a long period of time.

The problem is that the main UN agency that can distribute this aid is UNRWA, and that is the UN agency that deals with Palestinian refugees. But Israel has withdrawn its cooperation with UNRWA and in fact, is going to ban it from Israeli territory in just a matter of days.

So UNRWA then probably won’t be able to operate. There are going to be huge challenges in delivering that aid [and] huge challenges for the UN, which wants to have a central role in what happens after the conflict.

Will they be allowed any such role?


Qatari PM says ceasefire agreement is a ‘start’

Sheikh Mohammed says the Gaza deal came after extensive diplomatic efforts, but the ceasefire is a “start”, and now mediators and the international community should work to achieve lasting peace.

“I want to tell our brothers in the Gaza Strip that the State of Qatar will always continue to support our Palestinian brothers,” the Qatari prime minister said.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Biden confirms details of ceasefire deal

Speaking from the White House, the US president says:

  • Phase one of the deal will last six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women, the elderly and the wounded”.
  • “In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.”
  • During phase one, Palestinians “can also return to their neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza” and humanitarian assistance will be surged into the enclave.
  • “During the next six weeks, Israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get [to] phase two, which is a permanent end to the war.”
  • “There are a number of issues to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two, but the plan says that if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.”


Israeli military announces preparations for return of captives

The Israeli military says the preparations are taking place in an operation dubbed “Wings of Freedom”.

More on Qatar’s press conference on Gaza ceasefire deal

Here are the main points made by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as he announced a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

  • Qatar, Egypt and the US’ efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza have been successful.
  • Qatar and Egypt will work to ensure the implementation of the agreement.
  • Momentum towards this breakthrough had been building over the course of the past month.
  • The ceasefire deal will take effect on Sunday, January 19.
  • Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli captives during the first phase of the deal, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
  • The first phase of the deal will last 42 days.


Darc Requiem 1 hour ago

I don't care for either of them, but Trump just showed how much of a chump Biden is. He got Netanyahu to agree to ceasefire deal and he hasn't even taken office yet officially. It shows how easy it would been for a President with a spine to put a stop to this wanton slaughter.