Gaza airstrikes continue despite ceasefire deal

The Israeli government has approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, a Palestinian group, aimed at halting hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the agreement, Israeli warplanes continued to carry out airstrikes in Gaza. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported casualties, including five members of one family killed in Khan Yunis.

Under the deal mediated by Qatar, the US, and Egypt, 33 Israeli hostages captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel will be released during the truce. In return, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The agreement involves the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, with the ceasefire set to begin Sunday at 0630 GMT, reported AFP.

The three-phased deal is intended to end the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has resulted in widespread destruction in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties, and regional instability.

According to international media reports, the Israeli cabinet ratified the ceasefire, which includes the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel. The first phase of the truce is expected to last 42 days.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel retains the right to resume military operations if the ceasefire’s second phase fails. “If we must return to fighting, we will do so in new, forceful ways,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, emphasising US support for such actions.

Hamas’s October 7 attack, considered the deadliest in Israeli history, resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and over 250 hostages taken. Since then, more than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Gaza.