Israel steps up attacks on Gaza following ceasefire announcement
Hours after announcing a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, Israel stepped up its attacks on Gaza, killing dozens of people, according to residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave.
Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif from northern Gaza said it was a “horrific night”. in Post to X he wrote,
The pace of bombing has increased dramatically in recent hours, and the number of martyrs and wounded has increased accordingly to unprecedented levels.
He photographed himself in a makeshift morgue with the bodies of several young children in the background. “An hour ago, I was recording the joy of Gaza residents at hearing news of a ceasefire, but the Israeli occupation forces continue their slaughter as usual,” he said.
Hossam Shabat, another Al Jazeera reporter also reporting from northern Gaza, said: reported “Intensive raids,” he added, “as if we were living through the first days of the Israeli invasion.”
Thirty-two people had died late Wednesday, medics quoted by Reuters said. Residents said the strike continued into Thursday and destroyed homes in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseyrat in central Gaza and northern Gaza.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment, and there were no reports that Hamas had attacked Israel after the ceasefire was announced.
In the occupied West Bank, where Israel has also stepped up its attacks since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, an Israeli airstrike on the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday evening killed six Palestinians, according to the Palestinian News Agency. was killed and two others were seriously injured. Wafa reported.
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Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, in northern Gaza, said it had been a “terrifying night”. In a post on X he wrote,
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The pace of bombing has increased dramatically in recent hours, and with it the number of martyrs and wounded has increased to an unprecedented level.
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He filmed himself at a makeshift morgue with bodies in the background, including those of several small children. “An hour ago, I was documenting the joy of the people of Gaza at the news of the ceasefire, but the Israeli occupation, as usual, continues to commit massacres,” he said.
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Another Al Jazeera reporter Hossam Shabat, also reporting from northern Gaza, reported “intensive raids”, adding, “It’s as if we are living the first days of the Israeli aggression”.
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child injured in an Israeli attack on a tent harboring displaced Palestinians is taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Bala, central Gaza, for treatment on Thursday morning.”, “caption” “:”A child injured in an Israeli attack on a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians is taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al for treatment Thursday morning in Barah, central Gaza. “,”credit”:” Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Thirty-two people had died late Wednesday, medics quoted by Reuters said. Residents said the strike continued into Thursday and destroyed homes in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseyrat in central Gaza and northern Gaza.
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The Israeli military had no immediate comment, and there were no reports that Hamas had attacked Israel after the ceasefire was announced.
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In the occupied West Bank, where Israel has also stepped up its attacks since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, an Israeli airstrike on the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday evening killed six Palestinians, according to the Palestinian News Agency. was killed and two others were seriously injured. Wafa reported.
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Israel continued strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian territory said, as mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce’s start on Sunday.
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Israel’s military made no immediate comment and there were no reports of Hamas attacks on Israel after the ceasefire announcement.
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The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US, and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.
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The deal 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 Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump and Joe Biden for “advancing” the ceasefire agreement, but did not explicitly say whether he has accepted it, saying he would issue a formal response only “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”
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The accord was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hardliners in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
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While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military escalated attacks after the announcement, the Palestinian civil emergency service and residents said.
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Heavy Israeli bombardment, especially in Gaza City, killed 32 people late on Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued early on Thursday and destroyed houses in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.
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In other developments:
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Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked US president-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for their “assistance” in advancing the ceasefire and hostages release deal. In a series of posts on X, Netanyahu’s office said he spoke this evening with Trump and thanked him “for helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.” Netanyahu then spoke with Biden and thanked him for his assistance in advancing the hostages deal.
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Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 11am local time (9am GMT) on Thursday to approve the deal, local media reported. The Israeli government will vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of ministers expected to approve the deal, a government official told Reuters.
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Both Biden and Trump were quick to claim credit. Biden opened his final address to the nation by referencing the deal. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration,” he said. Trump said the “epic” agreement could have only happened as a result of his “historic” election victory.
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The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, welcomed news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying it held he promise of “huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery”.
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The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has issued a statement calling the news of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “long overdue” and urging a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. “After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for,” he said.
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The Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, which is set to be begin on Sunday and will last 42 days, will see the exchange of hostages detained by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
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Other aspects of the deal include the return of Palestinians, who have been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces, to their homes across the Gaza Strip. The deal will also see the facilitation of travel of people wounded by Israeli attacks and sick people in order to receive treatment, as well as the positioning of Israeli forces across the Gaza border.
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Biden confirmed that Americans will be part of the hostage release. “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,” Biden said.
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Egypt is “preparing to bring in the largest possible amount of aid to the Gaza Strip,” according to state media reports. Coordination was under way to “open the Palestinian Rafah crossing to allow the entry of international aid” into Gaza, Egyptian state media reported.
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main events
Hamas and Israel have agreed to a cease-fire agreement, aimed at pausing the war in Gaza and brokering an end to the brutal 15-month conflict. The deal is expected to be formally accepted by Israel after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The announcement Wednesday night by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani came after weeks of negotiations in Qatar's capital Doha. Efforts to hammer out final details have intensified in recent days as pressure on Israel to reach an agreement increased from US President-elect Donald Trump, which Sheikh Mohammed acknowledged at a news conference.
“The two warring factions in the Gaza Strip have reached an agreement on the exchange of prisoners and hostages. [the mediators] We are announcing a ceasefire in the hope of reaching a permanent ceasefire between the two sides.”
“Both parties should fully comply with all three phrases.” [of the agreement] This is to avoid further bloodshed and escalation in the area. '' Sheikh Mohammed added, “I hope this will bring an end to the dark chapter of the war.''
Shortly afterward, U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration had negotiated the deal but that Trump's team would soon be responsible for ensuring its implementation. Mr. Biden said his incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, also accompanied White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk in making the Doha meeting a reality.
“Over the last few days, we've been talking as one team,” Biden said.
Late Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump separately and thanked them for their cooperation in securing the deal, his office announced.
“The prime minister thanked President-elect Trump for his cooperation in facilitating the release of the hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in an initial confirmation of the agreement, adding that the two men had agreed to meet in Washington “in the near future.” The statement said that Prime Minister Netanyahu then met with Mr. Biden.
Opening overview
Palestinian residents and authorities said Israel continued its attacks on the Gaza Strip hours after the ceasefire and hostage release agreement were announced as mediators tried to calm down the fighting ahead of the start of the ceasefire on Sunday. .
The Israeli military had no immediate comment, and there were no reports that Hamas had attacked Israel after the ceasefire was announced.
The complex ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, follows months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States and 15 months of bloodshed that has devastated the coastal region and intensified the Middle East. After that, it was passed on Wednesday.
The agreement outlines an initial six-week ceasefire with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of people have been killed. The hostages taken by Hamas will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump and Joe Biden for “moving forward” on a cease-fire deal, but declined to say whether he had accepted it, saying his formal response was “at present.” “This will take place once the final details of the agreement have been finalized,” he said. What was in progress has been completed. ”
The deal was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hardliners within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government.
People in Gaza and Israel celebrated the deal, but Israeli forces escalated attacks after the announcement, according to Palestinian civilian emergency services and residents.
Heavy Israeli shelling, particularly in Gaza City, killed 32 people late Wednesday, medical officials said. Residents said attacks continued into the early hours of Thursday, destroying homes in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseyrat in central Gaza, and northern Gaza.
In other developments:
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to US President-elect Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden. For “assistance” in advancing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement. In a series of posts to He said he was grateful for that. Prime Minister Netanyahu then met with Biden and thanked him for his cooperation in promoting the hostage trade.
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Israel's security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 11 a.m. local time (9 a.m. GMT) to approve the deal, local media said. The Israeli government is scheduled to vote on the deal on Thursday, with a majority of the cabinet expected to approve it, a government official told Reuters.
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Biden too Trump was quick to claim credit. Biden mentioned the agreement at the beginning of his final address to the nation. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be primarily implemented by the next administration,” he said. President Trump said the “epic” agreement could only have been made possible as a result of his “historic” election victory.
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UN rights chief Volker Türk welcomed news of ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, It said it held the promise of “great relief after so much excruciating pain and misery.”
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement saying news of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement was “long overdue”. He urged a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories. “After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have been waiting for for years,” he said.
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The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday and is scheduled to last for 42 days. There will be an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
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Other aspects of the deal include the return of Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israeli forces to their homes across the Gaza Strip. The agreement will also facilitate the movement of people injured and sick from Israeli attacks to receive medical treatment, as well as the deployment of Israeli troops across the Gaza border.
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Mr. Biden confirmed that Americans would be allowed to participate in the hostage release. “This agreement will halt fighting in Gaza, provide a surge of much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, and reunite hostages and their families held for more than 15 months,” Biden said. said.
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State media reports say Egypt is “preparing to bring the maximum possible aid to the Gaza Strip.” Egyptian state media reported that arrangements were underway to “open the Palestinian Rafah border to allow the entry of international aid” to Gaza.
