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Celebrations erupted across the Gaza Strip as a long-term ceasefire was agreed upon by the Palestinian and Israeli authorities on Tuesday, ending 50 days of some of the most brutal violence in over a decade. The ceasefire will come into effect at 16:00 GMT and will immediately bring the violence in Gaza to an end – from July 8th, the conflict has claimed the lives of 2,143 Palestinians.
Palestinian officials said that the deal was a “permanent” truce, with a senior Israeli delegation member describing it as “unconditional and unlimited in time”.
As the ceasefire takes hold, several thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza City, with some even firing live rounds into the air overcome by joy, local correspondents said. Chants of “God is greatest” were broadcast across loudspeakers of mosques, as 1.8 million people celebrated an end to over seven weeks of violence; several people hailed the decision as a victory of the Palestinian resistance.
News of the deal first broke in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank where a Palestinian official had revealed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the delegations were able to reach a “durable” halt to violence in and around the Palestinian enclave. The official added that the agreement involved “a permanent ceasefire, a (deal to) end the blockade and a guarantee that Gaza’s demands and needs will be met”, but did not give any more details.
A key Palestinian demand during all the truce talks that had been abandoned earlier was ending the crippling Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Hamas has hailed the agreement as a “victory for the resistance”. The official announcement came from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’ headquarters in the city of Ramallah in West Bank.
Shortly after Abbas’ live speech, Israel confirmed that it had accepted the deal, and said that negotiating teams will return to Cairo “within a month”.
