Tonight, at least, we have hope: Palestine, Israel celebrate Gaza peace

Jubilation swept across Israel and Gaza on Thursday after a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal were announced under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza.

The landmark agreement — the biggest step yet towards halting two years of devastating warfare — was formally signed at noon local time (2.30 pm IST) in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where negotiators finalised the deal after marathon talks.

According to a source briefed on the details cited in a Reuters report, Israeli hostages could begin returning home as soon as Saturday, with Israeli troops starting to withdraw from Gaza within 24 hours of the signing.

In both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, scenes of elation broke out as news of the pact spread.

Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet at 5.00 pm local time (7.30 pm IST) on Thursday to approve the deal, followed by a full government session. But for many Israelis and Palestinians, the celebrations had already begun.

In Gaza — where much of the population of more than two million has been displaced by relentless Israeli bombardment — people poured into the streets despite continued airstrikes.

“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo from Khan Younis in southern Gaza told Reuters. “I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”

In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families of captives have gathered for months demanding their loved ones’ release, the atmosphere turned euphoric.

Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is among the remaining hostages, wept as she spoke under the red glow of flares. “I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling ... it’s crazy,” she said. “What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him. Just tell him that I love him, that’s it. And to see his eyes sink into mine ... It’s overwhelming — this is the relief.”

Strikes continue despite truce announcement

Despite the announcement, Gaza residents reported that Israeli strikes continued overnight and into Thursday morning. Smoke was seen rising over the Gaza City suburbs of Shejaia, Tuffah and Zeitoun, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military warned residents of northern Gaza against returning home, declaring the area a “dangerous combat zone”.

The ceasefire announcement comes just one day after the second anniversary of the Hamas cross-border assault that triggered Israel’s devastating campaign. The deal forms the opening phase of Trump’s 20-point 'Peace for Gaza' framework, negotiated indirectly in Egypt.

Announcing the breakthrough late on Wednesday, Trump said the initial phase represented “the first step toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the agreement as “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel”. But cracks quickly appeared within his ruling coalition. Far-right ministers, long opposed to any negotiations with Hamas, signalled they would resist the deal.

Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Hamas must be destroyed once all hostages are released, vowing not to vote in favour of the ceasefire. However, he stopped short of threatening to topple Netanyahu’s fragile government.

For its part, Hamas said the deal includes a swap of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, though exact figures have not been disclosed.

The truce follows two years of unrelenting bloodshed. More than 67,000 Palestinians (according to official figures, though the toll is closer to 700,000 as per multiple studies) have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, which began after Hamas-led militants stormed Israeli towns on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel has since launched military campaigns across the region, killing senior Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon and top Iranian commanders during a brief 12-day war with Iran — actions that have reshaped Middle Eastern geopolitics in Israel’s favour but left it internationally isolated.

Human rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry have accused Israel of committing genocide — a charge Israel vehemently denies, insisting its campaign is an act of self-defence following Hamas’s 2023 attack.

Trump and Netanyahu tout “historic achievement”

Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone following the announcement, congratulating each other on what they called an “historic achievement”. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister had invited Trump to address Israel’s parliament in recognition of his role in mediating the agreement.

The next stage of Trump’s plan envisions an international administration for Gaza, led by Trump himself and featuring former British Prime Minister Tony Blair among others.

While Arab nations backing the plan insist it must pave the way toward Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu has repeated his long-standing position that such a state “will never happen”.

On cue, and despite the euphoria, many observers warned that the deal remains fragile. Critical details — including Gaza’s future governance and the disarmament of Hamas — have yet to be finalised.

Diplomats say these unresolved issues could still cause the accord to unravel. Yet for now, after years of carnage, displacement and despair, the ceasefire has sparked a rare moment of shared relief.

“For the first time in two years, people are dancing in Gaza,” a Palestinian journalist in Rafah told Reuters. “No one knows if this will last, but tonight, at least, there is something to hope for.”

With agency inputs