Israeli attacks have continued in the besieged Gaza Strip despite an announcement by mediators that a ceasefire had been reached to end the two-year aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip.
Local media reports said Thursday Israeli forces carried out intense bombardments across several areas of the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens in recent hours. Heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling were reported in Gaza City and Khan Younis overnight.
Israeli quadcopters were also reported to have dropped bombs on civilians in Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Palestinian territory. Health officials said that at least nine people were killed in the attacks since dawn.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks blocked al-Rasheed Road to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza from the south.
The Israeli forces intermittently fired live rounds and artillery shells on civilians.
Israel is continuing deadly attacks across Gaza despite the critical ceasefire talks and the recent claim that the army had shifted toward ‘defensive’ operations.
The renewed strikes came after US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators announced early Thursday that a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas resistance movement to end the brutal Israeli aggression.
The two sides agreed on the details of the first phase of a deal that would “lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.”
In a statement, Hamas confirmed an agreement had been reached to “end the war on Gaza, ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of aid, and facilitate a prisoner exchange.”
A spokesperson for Hamas said that the Israeli occupying forces were attempting to manipulate the agreed-upon timelines, prisoner lists, and withdrawal steps.
He added that Israel continues to stall on key issues, including the withdrawal process, the names of prisoners to be released, and the return of displaced Palestinians.
“We call on the occupation to abide by what was agreed upon and urge mediators to exert pressure,” he said, adding that mediators confirmed the deal marks the beginning of the end of the genocidal war on Gaza.
He also stated that all captives — both living and deceased — will be handed over in the first phase of the agreement.
By Sunday or Monday, Hamas is expected to release 20 living captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has demanded the release of long-imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and other high-profile prisoners, including Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Secretary-General Ahmad Saadat and chief Qassam Brigades engineer and leader, Abdullah Barghouti.
Senior Hamas leader Abbas al-Sayed is also on the list. Additionally, the resistance group is demanding the bodies of assassinated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and his younger brother Mohammad.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces will begin a phased withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, it remains unclear what the withdrawal lines will be during the initial phase.
Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk said in a recent interview that the map of withdrawal lines in Trump’s plan “does not mean anything” and is “hand-drawn” with “no spaces, distances, locations, or anything.”
He added that Israel could potentially obstruct the negotiations “through unclear and unprofessional maps.”
“Stopping the war means a complete [Israeli] withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”
Numerous international bodies, UN experts, and countries have classified Israel’s actions in Gaza as acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV ]
