The first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on October 10, was reviewed by senior officials from the four mediator nations on Friday, according to a joint statement released on Saturday.
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The meeting took place in the wake of ongoing Israeli attacks on the area. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza, six people have died as a result of an Israeli strike on Friday near a school that houses displaced people, which would increase the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since about 400 have been signed.
In a statement posted on X, Witkoff said, “We reaffirm our full commitment to the President’s [Trump’s] 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements.”
First phase of the truce
According to the statement from Saturday, progress was made in the first phase of the peace agreement, including more human aid, the return of captives’ bodies, partial force withdrawals, and a drop in hostilities.
A transitional administration is expected to be established in the second phase of the agreement in the near future, according to the statement, which also stated that consultations would continue over its implementation.
Israel is supposed to leave its positions in Gaza, an interim body to control the Palestinians’ territory, and the deployment of an international stabilization force are all included in the truce agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hoped other nations would send troops to the stabilization force on Friday, but he also urged Hamas’ disarmament, warning that unless that happens, the process would not end.
Hamas’ statement
Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiations, and Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkish intelligence, met at a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday.
Despite Israeli violations, Hamas stated in a statement following the meeting that it was committed to upholding the ceasefire agreement.
The statement continued, “The delegation emphasized the urgent need to put an end to these ongoing violations.”
Given the destruction of infrastructure and homes in the Gaza Strip, the delegation also examined the deteriorating humanitarian situation there, highlighting the urgent need to bring in tents, caravans, and heavy equipment to save our people from drowning and freezing.
Aid organizations warn that Israeli restrictions are preventing lifesaving aid from reaching Gaza’s hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians because of winter storms, which have exacerbated the situation there.
Bodies are recovered, Israeli attacks continue.
Two people were reportedly targeted by an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Saturday after they “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli troops after crossing the so-called “yellow line,” which divides Palestinian-held territory from Palestinian-held territory.
No information was available as of yet regarding the two people’s injuries or deaths.
94 Palestinians’ bodies were recovered from the rubble in the enclave on Saturday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.
According to a statement from the Civil Defense, the bodies were found in the center of Gaza City and transported to the forensic department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex to arrange their burial in the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Deir el-Balah.
In Gaza, it is thought that thousands of Palestinians are still buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Source: Aljazeera
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