Mediators to decide start of Gaza ceasefire: Hamas

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Thursday that the time of implementing a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel will be decided by mediators.

“Hamas has reached a ceasefire agreement formula, and the mediators will decide when it takes effect,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in statements published by the group’s official website.

The agreement was announced at dawn on Thursday, following four days of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with mediation from Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

There was no immediate comment from mediators on the spokesman’s comments.

“The (Israeli) occupation is, as usual, trying to manipulate the agreed-upon timelines, lists, and procedures in order to make Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to be in control of the situation,” Qassem said.

He added that Hamas is in contact with the mediators to ensure that Israel abides by the agreement and is not allowed to stall its implementation.

“There was talk of the ceasefire taking effect at 12:00 noon today, but the occupation is delaying the announcement for internal reasons.”

Qassem told Anadolu that the mediators Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt played a crucial role in reaching the ceasefire deal, with the participation of US President Donald Trump’s administration.

He said Israel’s latest strikes in Gaza “constitute a violation of the agreement,” adding that Hamas has discussed the matter with mediators “who pledged to act to compel Israel to implement all terms, including halting military operations and beginning the withdrawal to enable a prisoner swap.”

He said a successful implementation of the deal “requires creating appropriate field conditions for the exchange process, based on a comprehensive ceasefire and an agreed withdrawal,” but gave no details on withdrawal lines.

Israel’s Security Cabinet convened early Thursday to vote on the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Phase one of the agreement includes an Israeli withdrawal to an agreed line and a prisoner exchange.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

Phase two of the plan calls for establishing a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force made up of Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

Arab and Muslim countries have welcomed the plan, but some officials have also said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.