Israel and Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire. What the media say
According to Western press reports, the Gaza ceasefire agreement was the result of joint efforts by several countries and a rare example of cooperation between the outgoing and new U.S. administration. What foreign media write about the prospects of a deal between Israel and Hamas - in Izvestia's digest
The Economist: Trump's participation in the negotiations pushed Netanyahu to a deal with Hamas
The January 15 agreement is essentially the same offer that outgoing US president Joe Biden secured from Israel in May. It took eight months of concerted effort by both the old and new U.S. administrations, as well as Egypt and Qatar, to get Israel and Hamas to commit. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appears to have been the X factor. He has made it clear to the Israelis that he does not want to enter the White House dealing with another war in the Middle East.
The Economist
It is too early to talk about the end of the war. Each stage comes with risks. It is unclear how many hostages are still alive (Israeli intelligence believes about half of them). Nor is it certain that Hamas will actually be able to deliver them all, as some have been captured by other Palestinian factions. Israel, which now occupies about a third of Gaza, is demanding security guarantees for future phases, which Hamas will not be willing to accept
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also present the agreement to his cabinet, although his radical ministers remain opposed to ending the war. He is certain to win the vote (on the deal in the coalition government. - Ed.), but his government could collapse as a result. In talks with the far right, the prime minister has emphasized that a second phase of the deal, leading to a full Israeli withdrawal and a permanent cease-fire, is far from inevitable. But Netanyahu knows that a return to full-scale war in Gaza would draw the ire of Trump - a president with whom, unlike the outgoing prime minister, he is afraid to argue.
The Wall Street Journal: Netanyahu agreed to deal with Hamas after strengthening his position
Benjamin Netanyahu's victories and Hamas's defeats have pushed the two adversaries toward an agreement. The general terms of the cease-fire agreement have not changed; what has changed is everything else. Netanyahu spent half of last year trying to keep his ruling coalition together, stuck in a war of attrition in Gaza and facing threats from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but since September, a series of Israeli military successes have strengthened Netanyahu politically. The prime minister's office said it was those accomplishments during the war and pressure from the U.S. president-elect that ultimately forced Hamas into a truce.
The Wall Street Journal
The Israeli public is generally supportive of the deal, with 60 percent of respondents saying they believe Israel has achieved its military objectives in the Gaza Strip and should focus on diplomatic efforts to free the hostages. This follows a poll conducted this week by Agam Labs at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
According to Gadi Wolfsfeld, a political scientist at Israel's Reichman University, Netanyahu has concluded that he can make the deal and stay in power, as well as get some recognition for the return of the hostages.
Jerusalem Post: discussions on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement will take place on January 16 in Cairo
Details of the provisions for a ceasefire, hostage release and prisoner exchange will be discussed at a meeting Thursday, Jan. 16, in Cairo, a senior Biden administration official said Wednesday evening. Egypt and Qatar will be "actively involved" in the implementation of the deal.
Jerusalem Post
The official noted that it was the weakening and defeat of Hezbollah that created the conditions that allowed Israel and Hamas to reach a cease-fire agreement
The Biden administration official noted that the deal was catalyzed by the defeat of Hezbollah and the mass isolation of Hamas, not by Trump's imposed deadline - his inauguration - and the threat of a "hell of a reckoning" for Hamas. The official also confirmed the Biden administration's claim that Hamas has recruited as many terrorists as Israel has killed in the entire war.
Al Jazeera: Jubilation and grief in the Gaza Strip over the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
Reaching a ceasefire agreement has caused mixed feelings among Palestinians and a desire to return home. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians' joy is overshadowed by grief as they endured the deaths of so many of their loved ones in an Israeli war that human rights organizations and UN experts have described as "genocide."
Al Jazeera
Several Palestinians told Al Jazeera TV that they plan to return to their towns and villages as soon as possible, as they were forced to leave their homes due to Israeli attacks and so-called evacuation orders
According to UN experts and human rights groups, Israel has systematically bombed schools, hospitals and camps for displaced people in Gaza, destroying almost all basic services and facilities needed to sustain life. In September 2024, the UN Satellite Center found that 66% of all structures in the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. Israel also tightened its siege of Gaza at the start of the war, leading to mass starvation and disruption of public order.
Reuters: a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was followed by airstrikes on Gaza
Residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said Israel stepped up strikes on the Gaza Strip hours after announcing a ceasefire and hostage release, as mediators tried to halt fighting ahead of a truce on Sunday. The agreement calls for a six-week ceasefire with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Hostages taken by Hamas will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
Reuters
In social media posts, some Gazans urged Palestinians to be extra cautious as they believe Israel may step up attacks in the next few days to maximize gains before the cease-fire kicks in
A ceasefire deal in Gaza, if successful, could defuse tensions across the Middle East, where war has sparked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, as well as heightened fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Iran. With 98 Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip, the first phase of the deal calls for the release of 33 of them, including all women, children and men over the age of 50. The agreement also includes a dramatic increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
