January 17, 2025 - Israel carried out fresh air strikes on Gaza yesterday, January 16, within hours of a Gaza ceasefire announcement which has led to hopes of an end to the 15-month war in the region. According to reports, the Israeli military and its Air Force carried out attacks over Gaza on about 50 targets in the last 24 hours. Officials in Gaza claimed around 80 casualties in the bombing, marking the highest daily death toll in over a week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had put off ratification of the ceasefire after accusing Hamas of backtracking on parts of the deal and also the hostage release agreement. Netanyahu had said he would not comment until all details of the deal were finalised.
This led to concerns in Gaza as millions of displaced Palestinians await news of implementation of the ceasefire deal.
However, the Israeli PM office today confirmed that the deal has been agreed upon to release the hostages. After initially delaying a Cabinet vote to ratify the ceasefire agreement, Netanyahu has convened the Cabinet today following which the government would meet to approve the deal.
Earlier, on January 15, US President Joe Biden and Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani had brokered and announced the ceasefire deal. Qatar's PM had confirmed that the ceasefire in Gaza will begin on January 19, and 33 Israeli hostages will be released in the first phase of the truce. This was following months of unsuccessful negotiations to end conflict in the region which has killed more than 46,700 people, mostly civilians.
With Media Inputs
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