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Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal

  • Israel’s security cabinet has accepted the ceasefire deal with Hamas that is expected to come into force on Sunday, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.

  • At least 113 Palestinians were killed, including 28 children and 31 women, in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire deal that is due to start on Sunday, according to the enclave’s civil defense.

Italian charities send 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza

Italian charities sent 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the country’s defence minister.

As part of Italy’s efforts to help Palestinians affected by the war, the aid was collected by the National Catholic Charities Confederation, said Guido Crosetto, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.

The aid has already departed from the northern port of Monfalcone, he added.

“Italy has once again demonstrated that it stands by those who suffer and will continue to do all it can to give hope to those who, like in Gaza, are experiencing very difficult times,” Crosetto said.

‘Netanyahu wanted perpetual war’: Ex-Israeli negotiator

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator, tells Al Jazeera the Israeli prime minister is likely to continue provocations to try to “upend” the ceasefire.

“We can expect ongoing efforts to goad and provoke the unravelling of this deal. We’ll see, I’m sure, ugly things going on in the West Bank and East Jerusalem” as well as “aggression against UNRWA”, Levy said. “This is a fragile place to be.”

Levy also listed the ongoing costs of Israel’s war in Gaza, including its “international reputation, legal vulnerabilities and its economy”.

He suggested that with the imminent return of Trump to the White House, the Israeli leader was forced into a ceasefire.

Gaza ceasefire won’t last without political process, warn analysts

Experts who spoke to Al Jazeera fear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted a ceasefire deal for months and insisted that Hamas must be destroyed, will resume hostilities after the captives are recovered to ostensibly “punish” the Palestinian group, buttress Israel’s security and ensure his own political survival, while somehow blaming Hamas for the failure of the deal.

“Israel is very good at breaking ceasefires and making it appear that it wasn’t its fault,” said Mairav Zonszein, an expert on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group.

Qatar hopes Gaza ‘tragedy will end’: Top diplomat

In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, expressed his hope that the ceasefire deal will be “fully implemented and that the tragedy will end”.

He stressed the need to mobilise international support for Gaza and establish mechanisms to support affected families.

He said that the last few days of negotiations were crucial and made a significant difference, noting that the joint work of the two US administrations (outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump) was decisive in reaching the agreement.

Here are the highlights of the interview:

  • We seek to fully implement the first phase, and for the second phase to be final.
  • We expect the Security Council to issue a binding resolution to implement the agreement.
  • A humanitarian protocol has been reached regarding the mechanism for delivering aid to prevent blackmail.
  • Qatar’s position as a mediator is clear that the administration of Gaza after the war is a Palestinian matter.
  • Our duty as Arab countries is to support Palestinian reconciliation towards ending the division.
  • Critics of Qatar have done nothing to stop the war except for shouting.
  • There have been cheap bids and blackmail against our role.
  • We do not respond to blackmail with statements, but with the work through which we reached the agreement.

Source: Al Jazeera



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