Palestinians and Israelis dare to hope for an agreement on Gaza

Palestinians and Israelis expressed cautious optimism about the approaching agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held there after 15 months of devastating war.

“I can’t believe I’m still alive to witness this moment,” 17-year-old Sanabel said in a voice message sent from Gaza City. “We have been impatiently waiting for this since the first month of (last) year.”

“I'm trying to breathe. I'm trying to be optimistic. I'm trying to imagine that it's possible that an agreement can be reached now and that all the hostages will leave,” said Sharon Lifshitz, whose elderly father was among the remaining hostages. “comes back.”

A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that there were no major issues impeding reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas and that the indirect talks in Doha focused on “the final details of reaching an agreement.”

An Israeli government official said that the talks had achieved “real progress” and had entered a critical and sensitive period, while Hamas said it was satisfied with the status of the negotiations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the agreement was “nearly finalized.”

Sanabel, who lives with her family in their partially destroyed home, told the BBC program that everyone in northern Gaza “feels happy, joyful and optimistic to see their best friends, and to see their families who were displaced to southern Gaza.” Stripping away, to start over.”

The girl said that she called her displaced friend and discussed with her “what we would do if the war ended,” adding that she would begin trying to “make up for every moment that I was deprived of seeing.”

“But after I called her, there was a huge bomb in my area. It reminded me (of the last ceasefire and hostage release agreement) in November 2023. There were huge bombs and missiles (before it started). I'm really scared.” “This will happen again.”

“In the final hours of this war, I don't want to lose a member of my family. I don't want a ceasefire for a year or five months. I want a ceasefire for a long time – for the rest of our family. Life.”

Asma Tayeh, a young graduate who lives with her family in her ancestral home in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, west of Gaza City, said that people are once again daring to hope.

“You can never imagine how excited and nervous people are here,” she told the BBC. “Everyone is waiting as if they will not survive until after the announcement.”

Asmaa is from Jabalia, the largest urban refugee camp in Gaza, whose residents have been forced to evacuate their homes several times by the Israeli army.

When the Israeli army launched a new ground offensive in Jabalia in October, Asma's family was forced to flee again.

Fierce fighting has erupted in Jabalia since then. In December, Asmaa said her entire area had been “wiped out.”

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 2023 also spoke to the BBC about the news that a ceasefire agreement could be imminent.

Sharon Lifshitz is a British-Israeli artist and director who has not heard from her 84-year-old father, Oded, since the woman who was held with him during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023 was released.

“For us, we know there will be a lot of grief. We know that a fair number of (the hostages) are no longer alive. We are desperate to get the living back first so they can go back to their families. Every one of them,” she told the Today programme. “They are a whole world.”

She said her mother, Yocheved – who was also kidnapped in the October 7 attack but was released weeks later – was skeptical about the chances of a deal but “I can feel optimism dawning.”

Eyal Calderon – the 54-year-old cousin of Ofer Calderon, two of whose sons were among the 105 hostages released from captivity in November – said in a voice note sent to the BBC's operating system: “We hope the deal will be closed.” almost”. “And we will reach the moment when we hug Ofer, and his four children hug him.”

He added, “We want this agreement to include all the hostages, all 98 hostages. We demand that. We only hope to see them all in Israeli (territory).”

Lee Siegel, the brother of Keith Siegel, 64, whose wife Aviva was also released in November, insisted that “all hostages should go home – those who are still alive, to work on rebuilding their lives and their families; Those who are still alive, the deceased, should be given a proper burial in their homeland.”

Some families of hostages who were not included in the initial releases expressed their anger at the possibility of leaving their relatives behind if the deal falters at a later stage.

Itai, Robbie Chen's son, was killed during the attack on October 7, 2023 and his body is being held in Gaza.

He added: “Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is moving forward with a deal that does not include my son and 65 additional hostages, as it is not known how my son will get out. For most families, this deal is unacceptable.” .

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces opposition from far-right government ministers and some members of his party, who object to the release of prisoners and a broader ceasefire agreement.

Sharon Lifshitz said a majority of Israelis had supported such a deal “for a very long time,” but combined pressure from the administrations of outgoing US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump finally gave Netanyahu’s government “an extra boost.” I need it.

She added: “This agreement appears to be largely the agreement that was on the table in July.” “Many, many hostages have died since July. Soldiers and Palestinians. Extreme suffering.”

Speaking later on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was confident that a majority in the Israeli government would support the agreement.

Meanwhile, Blinken – who is nearing the end of his term as US Secretary of State – laid out for the first time the plan the Biden administration wants to deliver to Trump for post-war Gaza.

It did not envisage full and immediate control of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority – the entity created by the Oslo Accords that enjoys limited rule in parts of the occupied West Bank.

It is crucial that the security forces in Gaza consist of personnel from other countries – most likely Arab countries, although he did not mention them by name – in addition to the “vetted” Palestinian forces.

Blinken said, as he has done before, that Hamas sought to ignite a regional war and obstruct US-led efforts to integrate Israel and its Arab neighbors.

At the same time, he said that Israel had continued its military campaign “beyond the point” of destroying Hamas’ military capacity and killing its leaders responsible for the October 7 attack.

This was self-defeating, he noted, adding that the United States estimates that Hamas has recruited nearly as many new militants as Israel has killed.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 46,640 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Strip. Most of the population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to the struggle to get aid to those in need.

Israel says 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, and 34 of them are presumed dead. In addition, there were four Israelis who were kidnapped before the war, two of whom died.