World reactions to Israel, Hamas truce deal
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce mediated by Qatar that will see the release of 50 women and children held captive in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.
The deal was announced on Wednesday and the starting time is expected to be confirmed within the next 24 hours, according to a statement from Qatar
The agreement also includes desperately needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza following weeks of relentless Israeli attacks that have killed more than 14,100 people, including 5,600 children, and forced about 1.7 million from their homes.
About 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Here are some reactions to the announcement:
European Union
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Von der Leyen welcomed the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on the release of 50 captives and a pause in hostilities in Gaza.
“The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement.
France
Catherine Colonna, Foreign Affairs Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna stated, “We hope that there will be French people among the first batch of hostages to be released.”
Human Rights Watch
Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director
“Following the mass atrocities of recent weeks, today’s agreement is welcome.
“Hostage-taking & blocking of life-saving aid are war crimes that are never justified. Human beings are not bargaining chips. Ceasefire or not, unlawful attacks should cease once and for all.”
Palestine
PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein al-Sheikh
“President Mahmoud Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, appreciate the Egyptian [and] Qatari effort that has been exerted.”
The PLO statement called “for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people” and reiterated the need for “humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy that leads to the end of the occupation and the achievement of the Palestinian people’s freedom, independence and sovereignty”.
Qatar
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X that the Gulf state hoped the deal would “establish a comprehensive and sustainable agreement” that would “put an end to the war and the bloodshed and lead to serious talks for a comprehensive and just peace process”.
United States
President Joe Biden
Biden welcomed the deal and thanked Qatar and Egypt for their efforts to secure the agreement.
“Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks, and I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented,” he said in a statement.
He stressed it needed to be “carried through in its entirety” and that it was “important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented”.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Blinken, replying to Biden’s statement on X, applauded the role of the US in the deal.
“Today’s outcome is the result of tireless diplomacy and relentless effort across the United States government,” he posted.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Schumer, who leads the US Senate, said he was “pleased and relieved” that 50 captives would soon be returning to their families.
He said it was a “positive development” that the pause in fighting would “allow additional humanitarian assistance into Gaza for the millions of innocent Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas” and said the Senate would “continue working to pass additional humanitarian assistance for innocent Palestinians, and make sure that Israel has the aid it needs to defend itself to ensure Hamas can never again pose such a threat to Israel”.
