Taoiseach heralds Gaza ceasefire as hope after ‘15 brutal months of war’

Taoiseach Simon Harris has welcomed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which he said “offers hope after a brutal 15 months of war”.

“Families will be reunited with their loved ones after being abducted and held hostage following the despicable Hamas attack on October 7, 2023,” said Mr Harris.

“I urge both sides to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement and to implement it in good faith.”

Welcoming the handing over of the first three hostages, Mr Harris said the remaining hostages must now be released.

“They and their heartbroken families and friends have suffered for far too long,” he said.

“Their enforced captivity is completely unacceptable.

“The people of Gaza, who have endured unimaginable hardship and trauma, must be allowed to return to their homes and to start to rebuild their lives.”

Immediate surge

Mr Harris said there must now be “an immediate surge” in badly-needed humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.

“I welcome that the first UN aid trucks have begun to enter Gaza. This access must continue unimpeded and in increased volumes.

“The hope of this ceasefire must now be translated into efforts to secure a complete cessation of the fighting and to work towards a lasting peace.

“The way to bring about peace and stability to the Middle East is a two-state solution,” said Mr Harris.

“Ireland wants to see the state of Israel and the state of Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security.

“Ireland will play its part in supporting the international community to ensure this is the way forward.”

Meanwhile, the first three hostages released from Gaza arrived in Israel hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.

Their mothers were waiting to meet them.

Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the three women walking to Red Cross vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza city.

Armed

The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.

Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, 28; and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released.

Ms Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

“They appear to be in good health,” US president Joe Biden said in brief remarks as they were arriving in Israel.

In Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in cheers.

Relatives of the women jumped, clapped, and wept.

“An entire nation embraces you,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The ceasefire ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war.

A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce’s start by nearly three hours, but the spokesman for Hamas’s military wing later said it is committed to the ceasefire. Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations broke out across the territory, and some Palestinians began returning to their homes.

The release of 90 Palestinian prisoners then took place yesterday.

Gathered 

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends gathered excitedly as cars honked and people waved the Palestinian flag.

The truce, which started at 11.15am local time, is the first step towards ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. In the interim, between 8.30am and when the ceasefire took hold, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

It did not say whether they were civilians or fighters.

The military has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone inside Gaza.

Israel’s hard-line national security minister, meanwhile, said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the government in protest over the ceasefire agreement.

Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, but will not affect the truce.

The ceasefire deal was announced last week after a year of mediation by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.

Pressed for agreement

The outgoing Biden administration and president-elect Donald Trump’s team had both pressed for an agreement to be reached before Mr Trump’s inauguration today.

Mr Netanyahu on Saturday warned that he had Mr Trump’s backing to continue fighting if necessary.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.

Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home.

There is also supposed to be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily, far more than Israel allowed before.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme said trucks started entering through two crossings after the ceasefire took hold.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks.