On October 9, the people of Israel and the Palestinians expressed their joy after the ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement between the two sides was announced, marking the biggest step towards peace since the war in Gaza broke out.
This is the first phase of a campaign launched by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and changed the situation in the Middle East.
According to the agreement, the war will end, Israel will start withdrawing part of its troops from Gaza and Hamas will release the remaining hostages in exchange for prisoners held by Israel. A source said Israeli soldiers would begin withdrawing within 24 hours of signing the treaty. An Israeli official said the release of the 20 surplus hostages was scheduled for October 12 or 13, while Hamas said it needed time to recover the bodies of the dead.
In Gaza, where more than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes, joy is everywhere in the ruins of neighborhoods. Thank God for the ceasefire, for the end of blood and killing, said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khanunis Younis: I am not the only happy person the whole of Gaza, the whole of the Arab world, the whole world is happy.
In Tel Aviv, Ms. Einav Zaugauker - the mother of a hostage - emotionally said in tears: "I can't breathe, I can't express my emotions... just want to hug and say I love it".
The deal was confirmed by both sides, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the ceasefire would only take effect after being approved by the cabinet. Although the sound of shelling still rings in some areas of Gaza, the intensity has decreased significantly. The Gaza Ministry of Health said nine Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours, a figure much lower than in recent weeks.
The deal, backed by many Arab and Western countries, is considered a major diplomatic achievement of President Trump. He declared on social media that this was a Great Day for the Arab, Islamic and Israeli World, and thanked Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for their intermediary role. Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Putin affirmed that Turkey will support monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire.
However, there are still many unresolved issues, such as Gaza management after the war and Hamas' future. Some far-right members of Netanyahu's coalition opposed the deal, saying Hamas should be completely eliminated after the hostages were released. However, this agreement is still considered a major turning point, opening up rare opportunities for peace in an area that has suffered too many losses.
