Celebrations erupt in Gaza after Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement

After 15 months of bombardment and suffering in the Gaza Strip, Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official briefed on the deal told Reuters. This accord follows prolonged, intermittent negotiations led by mediators from Egypt and Qatar, supported by the US. Israeli forces entered Gaza in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Here are some pictures of people celebrating the ceasefire agreement.

Following the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, Palestinians in Gaza erupted in celebration.

This agreement is to put a stop to the 15-month-long bombardment in the Palestinian area.

For Palestinians, the agreement, if it is finalised, is likely to offer at least several weeks of respite from a devastating Israeli military campaign that has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, both civilians and combatants.

For Israelis, it could allow for the release of at least a third of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and its allies.

Supporters of Israeli hostages hold torches as they attend a protest to demand a deal to bring every hostage home at once amid Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In the first six weeks of the deal, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel is also meant to gradually withdraw its troops eastward, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return home.

Even as Israel highlighted unresolved points in the agreement, Gazans took to the streets, cheering and embracing one another.

Outside Deir al-Balah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, hundreds of Palestinians gathered to chant, sing, and wave flags.