[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza ceasefire Friday

As ministers weighed whether to approve the fragile agreement, new Israeli strikes on about 50 targets in Gaza killed dozens of people on Thursday...

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Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza ceasefire Friday
Agence France-Presse . Jerusalem 17 January, 2025, 04:30

Israel’s cabinet was set to vote Friday on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, an official said, with mediator the United States ‘confident’ the accord would take effect as planned.

As ministers weighed whether to approve the fragile agreement, new Israeli strikes killed dozens of people, Gaza rescuers said Thursday, and Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets across the territory over the past day.

At least two cabinet members have voiced opposition to the ceasefire, with far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying Thursday that he and his party colleagues would quit the government –– but not the ruling coalition –– if it approved the ‘irresponsible’ deal.

The truce, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would begin on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas on Thursday of reneging ‘on parts of the agreement... to extort last-minute concessions’, and vowed to postpone the cabinet vote until the issues were addressed.

An Israeli official, however, later told AFP that the cabinet would meet Friday to decide on the deal.

Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said that there was ‘no basis’ for Israel’s accusations.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts, said he believed the ceasefire would go ahead on schedule.

‘I am confident, and I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday,’ he said.

The foreign ministry of fellow mediator Egypt said in a statement the ceasefire must ‘start without delay’.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israel pounded several areas of the territory after the deal was announced, killing at least 80 people and wounding hundreds.

Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned that Israeli strikes were risking the lives of hostages due to be freed under the deal, and could turn their ‘freedom... into a tragedy’.

The war began on October 7, 2023 with the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Of the 251 people reportedly held hostage by the Hamas, 94 are reportedly still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

The ceasefire agreement followed intensified efforts from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States, after months of fruitless negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza’s history.

If finalised, it would pause hostilities one day before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump.

Envoys from both the Trump team and the outgoing administration of president Joe Biden were present at the latest negotiations, with a senior Biden official saying the unlikely pairing had been a decisive factor in reaching the deal.

In Israel and Gaza, there were celebrations welcoming the truce deal, but also anguish.

Saeed Alloush, who lives in north Gaza, said that he and his loved ones were ‘waiting for the truce and were happy’, until overnight strikes killed many of his relatives.

‘It was the happiest night since October 7’ until ‘we received the news of the martyrdom of 40 people from the Alloush family’, he said.

In Tel Aviv, pensioner Simon Patya said that he felt ‘great joy’ that some hostages would return alive, but also ‘great sorrow for those who are returning in bags, and that will be a very strong blow, morally’.

In addition to Ben Gvir, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has also opposed the truce, calling it a ‘dangerous deal’.

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, announcing the agreement on Wednesday, said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released, including women, ‘children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded’.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza's densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return ‘to their residences’, he said.

Announcing the deal from the White House, Biden said the second phase of the agreement could bring a ‘permanent end to the war’.

He added the deal would ‘surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families’.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also underscored the ‘importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid’ into Gaza.

Cairo said it was ready to host an international conference on reconstruction in Gaza, where the United Nations has said it would take more than a decade to rebuild civilian infrastructure.

The World Health Organisation’s representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, said Thursday that at least $10 billion would probably be needed over the next five to seven years to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system alone.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to start later this month, welcomed the ceasefire deal.

‘What’s needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war,’ UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.​

 

[Saif]

Ceasefire: not holding my breath

THE announced ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza is reminiscent of the last days of the Carter administration, a time when American hostages were released with Reagan (and his behind-the-scenes machinations) taking credit for ending the hostage impasse. Be on the look-out for Trump to...

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Ceasefire: not holding my breath
Raouf Halaby 16 January, 2025, 22:24

THE announced ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza is reminiscent of the last days of the Carter administration, a time when American hostages were released with Reagan (and his behind-the-scenes machinations) taking credit for ending the hostage impasse. Be on the look-out for Trump to take 95 per cent of the credit.

Between today and the 19th (when full implementation takes place), spoilers on both, the Israeli and Hamas sides, might sabotage the deal. We’ve been there before, ceasefires were agreed to only to be broken, and things have always gone back to status quo ante.

Tragically, Biden could have averted much bloodshed and destruction way when

The realistic side of me says that, unfortunately, while the patient has been resuscitated, it is a temporary band aid solution. The elephant in the room is Israel’s occupation of Gaza and especially the occupied West Bank, a tiny 22 per cent sliver of historic Palestine taken over by some 700,000 Israeli militant settlers whose biblical claims are aided and abetted by America’s End Time Christian Zionists, AIPAC, and their compadres. Just look at Trump’s ambassadorial (think Mike Hucksterbee) and other appointees, each of whom is an avowed supporter of Greater Israel.

In a manner of speaking Donald Trump, and because of his outright kindship to and outright support of Netanyahu, has been handed a golden opportunity. He could, once and for all, help create a Palestinian state that would end 80 years of bloodletting.

Will he see this as a historic moment? Or, will he, in his pro forma transactional handling of myriad events, perceive this to be another real estate deal in which winners take all?

The Palestinian State (Solution) Delusion, promised by successive US presidents, is at the crossroads of a historic moment.

Perhaps the legal maxim ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ has never resonated as it has today.

And, while apathetic world leaders give lip service to justice and peace, the masses of the world hold their breath and pray that billions spent arming the world would be spent to alleviate hunger, drought, global warming, disease, and the many plagues looking on the horizon.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal

The agreement, which must now go to the full cabinet for a final green light, would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza's deadliest-ever war

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Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal

This handout picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fifth from right, heading a security cabinet meeting to vote on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect on January 19, in Jerusalem on January 17, 2025. Photo: AFP

Israel's security cabinet approved in a vote on Friday a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect this weekend, the prime minister's office said.

The agreement, which must now go to the full cabinet for a final green light, would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza's deadliest-ever war.

It would also launch on Sunday the release of hostages held in the territory since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Under the deal struck by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, the ensuing weeks should also see the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people since the deal was announced. Israel's military said on Thursday it had hit about 50 targets across Gaza over the past day.

The full cabinet will convene later Friday to approve the deal. The ceasefire would take effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration as US president.

Saying the proposed deal "supports achieving the objectives of the war", the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the security cabinet recommended that the government approve it.

His office had earlier said the release of hostages would begin on Sunday.

Even before the start of the truce, Gazans displaced by the war to other parts of the territory were preparing to return home.

"I will go to kiss my land," said Nasr al-Gharabli, who fled his home in Gaza City for a camp further south in the territory.

"If I die on my land, it would be better than being here as a displaced person."

In Israel, there was joy but also anguish over the 251 hostages taken in the deadliest attack in the country's history.

Kfir Bibas, whose second birthday falls on Saturday, is the youngest hostage.

Hamas said in November 2023 that Kfir, his four-year-old brother Ariel and their mother Shiri had died in an air strike, but with the Israeli military yet to confirm their deaths, many are clinging to hope.

"I think of them, these two little redheads, and I get shivers," said 70-year-old Osnat Nyska, whose grandchildren attended nursery with the Bibas brothers.

- 'Confident' -

Two far-right ministers had voiced opposition to the deal, with one threatening to quit the cabinet, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believed the ceasefire would go ahead on schedule.

"I am confident, and I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday," he said.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israel pounded several areas of the territory, killing more than 100 people and wounding hundreds since the the deal was announced on Wednesday.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned that Israeli strikes were risking the lives of hostages due to be freed under the deal, and could turn their "freedom... into a tragedy".

The war began with the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

- Trump and Biden -

The ceasefire agreement followed intensified efforts from mediators after months of fruitless negotiations, and with Trump's team taking credit for working with US President Joe Biden's administration to seal the deal.

"If we weren't involved in this deal, the deal would've never happened," Trump said in an interview on Thursday.

A senior Biden official said the unlikely pairing had been a decisive factor in reaching the deal.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, announcing the agreement on Wednesday, said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released, including women, "children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded".

The Israeli authorities assume the 33 are alive, but Hamas has yet to confirm that.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza's densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences", he said.

Two sources close to Hamas told AFP three Israeli women soldiers would be the first to be released on Sunday evening.

The women may in fact be civilians, as the militant group refers to all Israelis of military age who have undergone mandatory military service as soldiers.

Once released they would be received by Red Cross staff as well as Egyptian and Qatari teams, one source said on condition of anonymity.

They would then be taken to Egypt where they would undergo medical examinations and then to Israel, the source said.

Israel "is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences", the source added.

Egypt was on Friday hosting technical talks on the implementation of the truce, according to state-linked media.

French President Emmanuel Macron said French-Israeli citizens Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi were on the list of 33 hostages to be freed in the first phase.

Biden said the second phase could bring a "permanent end to the war".

In aid-starved Gaza, where nearly all of its 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once, aid workers worry about the monumental task ahead.

"Everything has been destroyed, children are on the streets, you can't pinpoint just one priority," Doctors Without Borders (MSF) coordinator Amande Bazerolle told AFP.​

 

[Saif]

Can life start again in Gaza?

Gaza faces a fragile ceasefire, yet Palestinian resilience and hopes for liberation persist.

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Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal
Can life start again in Gaza?

People celebrate in central Gaza on January 15, 2025 as news spread that a ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending more than 15 months of war and genocide. PHOTO: AFP

After 467 days of massacre committed by the occupationist state of Israel—under the leadership of the fascist Benjamin Netanyahu—the people of Gaza can now dream of waking up to sounds and smells different from what they have been accustomed to: bombs, drones, gunpowder, and corpses. On January 15, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal that had been on the table since May last year. The next day, however, the Israeli cabinet delayed voting on the deal, accusing Hamas of backtracking although Hamas had accepted the agreement that was announced. It was expected that the deal would come into effect on Sunday, but the cost of the latest delay only means that more Palestinian lives will be lost, as it has been for each and every day that Netanyahu decided to pull out of ceasefire agreements.

Previously, the Biden administration seemed reluctant to apply enough pressure. The answer to the questions "Why now?" and "Why not months ago?" lie in the change of leadership in the US, in my opinion. In December, President-elect Donald Trump warned that if Israeli hostages in Gaza were not released, "it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out." As I see it, this could not have been done by the outgoing President Joe Biden, as it long eluded his administration. President-elect Trump shares a friendship with Netanyahu, who reveres him. I suspect the delay from Netanyahu's side could also be until Trump takes office on January 20, so his resume will have the ceasefire written on it instead of Biden's.

Netanyahu's extremist cabinet has been against this deal; far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have publicly ranted about how awful the deal is. Now, why would Netanyahu agree on a ceasefire that would cause division in his coalition? (When Ben-Gvir says he will bring down the "government," it essentially means he will quit the coalition.) The political calculus seems to have changed, and it may serve Netanyahu more to accept the deal this time than to reject it. And there could be two reasons for it. First, a trade-off could have been been offered, which could possibly be related to the annexation in the West Bank that Trump supported during his first term. The other possibility could be that Trump asserted that this war was no longer in the best interest of the US, but since he is unpredictable and reactive, Netanyahu, who faces criminal charges but wants to stay in power, would not risk going against the assertive incoming president.

In the end, Netanyahu did not achieve the "absolute victory" he spoke about, unless victory for him means the killing of thousands of children, women and men, destroying more than three quarters of Gaza, and starving its residents to death. The truth is he did not even achieve partial victory. He failed to eliminate Hamas, he failed to free the hostages, and he failed to undermine the resilience of Palestinians.

The ceasefire deal agreed upon also includes exchange of hostages, including Palestinian hostages held in Israeli prisons, and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in the first phase, which Netanyahu was opposed to. More importantly, the second phase of the deal promises "a permanent end to the war." There remains possibilities that this could be a temporary respite for the citizens of Gaza, and Netanyahu's commitment to the deal will face its biggest test in the second phase. The hope lies in Trump's ability to ensure the success of the deal, though his incoming administration is filled with staunch pro-Israel figures.

But, say, the deal endures, then what awaits the day after the war ends? For Netanyahu, he must face the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for heinous war crimes. He will have to face the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians, and most importantly, the abject failure to protect Israel's security on October 7, 2023. Israel as a state will have to reckon with genocide committed by its people, and the utter dehumanisation of Palestinians.

For Palestinians in Gaza, the ceasefire deal brings cautious optimism. As it was announced, the people of Gaza celebrated—an unusual sight in the rubble-filled strip. Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir-Al-Balah in Central Gaza, said, "For a couple of hours, people turned this whole area into a stage of celebration, something we are not used to seeing here as the area used to be a stage for funerals for the victims of war and a space filled with agony and sadness." Till the deal comes into effect, Israel will continue to commit massive atrocities, ending lives of innocent people as a reward for Netanyahu's hardline government, which believes a ceasefire to end mass suffering is akin to "surrender." Only when the ceasefire deal will go into effect will there be a sliver of hope that life can start again in the devastated Gaza Strip. But the ceasefire must not be conflated with liberation of the Palestinian people. The life that Palestinians have lived in an "open air prison" in Gaza is one of endless pain and violence committed against them by Israel. The life the whole generation of orphaned children will now live, after the genocide, is one scarred with bloodshed, trauma, and the battle to access basic human rights.

For the Palestinians, we must first be united as one, share our dreams, work together to achieve the hopes of our people, and not allow foreign interference that tries to impose on us solutions that do not meet our ambitions to fully recover our rights. Above all, we must stand by our brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip to provide them with all the material and moral support we can, to alleviate their suffering and heal their wounds. Families have been wiped out, lives have been uprooted, and for those who survived, their hearts have been permanently broken.

Liberation of Palestinians will only happen the day we have the right to self-determination, the day we are treated as human beings with the right to live the way we want. As Palestinians were killed in their homes, the US and Israel, the perpetrators, talked about who would run the strip. The Biden administration has, for months, been trying to form an international security force that would work alongside an interim Palestinian administration to deal with civilian affairs. The US and Israel do not have the right to determine "who will run the strip." The day the world understands what's wrong with that criminal school of thought, we can start thinking about Palestinian liberation. But the resilience and movements around the world must continue for us to achieve our freedom.

Palestinian lives remain on the line till the ceasefire comes into effect, and rebuilding Gaza will be a task too difficult to put into words. There are many lessons Palestinians have learnt from this war, and things have forever changed after the most brutal war in our history. The world must reflect on the past 15 months of a horrendous genocide that happened in front of our eyes, on our screens, with the support of the powers that be. We must reflect on the biggest failure of humanity in modern times. At the same time, we Palestinians must also thank all those who have stood by our people and provided support in all its forms, most notably the people of Bangladesh.

Yousef SY Ramadan is the ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

ISRAEL’S HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATIONS TO UN: Bangladesh should participate in ICJ advisory opinion

THE Israeli government’s decision to ban the operations of the UNRWA in the Israeli-claimed territory and prohibit Israeli state agencies from having any contact with it or its representatives in October 2024 resurfaced...

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ISRAEL’S HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATIONS TO UN: Bangladesh should participate in ICJ advisory opinion
by Quazi Omar Foysal 18 January, 2025, 00:21

A picture reportedly shows a damaged UNRWA food aid warehouse and distribution centre due to Israeli strikes in Tall al-Hawa neighbourhood in southern Gaza City on October 16, 2023. | Agence France-Presse

THE Israeli government’s decision to ban the operations of the UNRWA in the Israeli-claimed territory and prohibit Israeli state agencies from having any contact with it or its representatives in October 2024 resurfaced the question of Israel’s adherence to international obligations in relation to Palestine and the Palestinian people. This decision, taken by the Knesset, came just three months after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, where the Court held that Israeli policies and practices in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory are unlawful. Accordingly, it was unsurprising that the ICJ would be required to deliberate again on the Palestine/Israel question.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, popularly known as UNRWA, established by the United Nations General Assembly as its subsidiary organ on December 8, 1949, has a mandate covering Palestinians displaced or forced to leave during the Nakba, the 1948 Palestine War, and later conflicts, along with their descendants, including legally adopted children. UNRWA is widely regarded as the backbone of humanitarian aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, providing essential services such as education, healthcare and food assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees.

While the Israeli government has long accused UNRWA of lacking neutrality and being associated with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the issue became highly contentious following the October 7 attacks. Allegations emerged that 19 UNRWA staff were involved in the attacks. Although UNRWA dismissed nine of its employees after an internal investigation, the allegations led to funding cuts by its major donors. Despite a report by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, commissioned by the UN Secretary-General, which found the Israeli evidence insufficient, the crisis remains unresolved. The ban on the operation of the UNRWA, stemming from Israel’s earlier allegations, represents one of the most severe challenges to UNRWA’s mandate.

The Israeli government’s decisions have raised significant questions about Israel’s adherence to its international obligations towards the United Nations under the UN Charter, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (1946), and other relevant sources of international law. Given the importance of UNRWA’s work in providing humanitarian assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, especially amidst the precarious situation exacerbated by the 2023 Hamas-Israel war, Israel’s targeting of its operational capacity through legislation affecting its presence, activities and immunities is a matter of grave concern for the international community.

In disputes involving an international organisation and a state, as illustrated by the present scenario, the ICJ does not have contentious jurisdiction, as it is limited to disputes between states. However, the ICJ can entertain its advisory jurisdiction in such cases. An advisory opinion of the ICJ is a non-binding judicial statement issued in response to a request from a duly authorised United Nations organ or specialised agency concerning a legal question within the scope of their activities. The ICJ has delivered several advisory opinions on the Palestine issue, notably the 2004 Advisory Opinion on the Wall and the 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

As stated earlier, the request for an advisory opinion must come from a duly authorised UN organ or specialised agency. In the past, the UN General Assembly has frequently made such requests regarding the Palestine question, and this instance was no exception. In response to global protests against the Israeli government’s decision on UNRWA, Norway spearheaded a resolution containing a request for an advisory opinion. Eventually, UNGA Resolution 79/232 was adopted on December 19, 2024, with 137 votes in favour, 12 votes against, and 22 abstentions. The resolution requested an advisory opinion “on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency” due to the evolving ground situation.

The legal question put forward by the UN General Assembly concerns “the obligations of Israel, as an occupying Power and as a member of the United Nations, in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, including its agencies and bodies, other international organisations and third states, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including to ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population as well as of basic services and humanitarian and development assistance, for the benefit of the Palestinian civilian population, and in support of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.” The resolution considers this question supplementary to those raised in the 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Since UNGA Resolution 79/232 requested the advisory opinion “on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency,” the ICJ issued an order on December 23, 2024, setting February 18, 2025, as the deadline for submitting information in the form of written statements from the United Nations, its member states, and the observer State of Palestine. This raises the question of whether Bangladesh should participate in the proceedings by submitting a written statement.

Bangladesh has consistently advocated for the rights of the Palestinian people in various multilateral forums, especially the United Nations. Bangladesh asserts that its position on the Palestinian question is grounded in Article 25 of its Constitution. It has also participated in various judicial forums, including the ICJ and the ICC.

For instance, Bangladesh recently submitted a written statement and participated in the oral proceedings for the 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Previously, it participated in the oral proceedings for the 2004 Advisory Opinion on the Wall. Furthermore, Bangladesh expressed its intention to intervene in the Gaza genocide case (South Africa vs Israel) on January 14, 2024. Additionally, it referred the Palestine situation to the ICC under Article 14 of the Rome Statute. Given its track record, it is expected that Bangladesh will participate in both written and oral proceedings for the upcoming advisory opinion.

Beyond Bangladesh’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the questions presented to the ICJ should be of particular concern to Bangladesh as one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces. Bangladesh should take into account the significant challenges faced by peacekeeping forces in distributing humanitarian aid and undertaking their responsibilities in occupied or war-torn territories. Thus, Bangladesh’s participation would reflect not only its moral stance but also its practical interests.

Given the urgency emphasised in UNGA Resolution 79/232 and the ICJ’s timeline for submitting written statements, Bangladesh must make a prompt decision on this matter. Bangladesh should seize this solemn opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to its principles of international relations and advocate for the universal protection of human rights. By participating in the advisory proceedings, Bangladesh can underscore its longstanding dedication to upholding justice and equity on the global stage, emphasising its proactive role in addressing the rights of oppressed populations and supporting international law.

Quazi Omar Foysal is an international law expert, working at American International University-Bangladesh and practising in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

$10 billion needed to rebuild Gaza health system: WHO

At least $10 billion will likely be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system over the next five to seven years, according an initial World Health Organisation assessment Thursday.

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$10 billion needed to rebuild Gaza health system: WHO
Agence France-Presse . Geneva 17 January, 2025, 22:18

At least $10 billion will likely be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system over the next five to seven years, according an initial World Health Organisation assessment Thursday.

‘The needs are massive,’ the UN health agency’s representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, told reporters.

With a ceasefire finally looming, humanitarians are calling for a dramatic scaling up of humanitarian aid into war-ravaged Gaza, amid efforts to determine the size of the towering needs.

Peeperkorn said his team’s initial estimate of the cost to rebuild just the health sector was ‘even more than $3 billion for the first 1.5 years and then actually $10 billion for the five to seven years’.

‘In Gaza, we all know the destruction is so massive. I have never seen that anywhere else in my life,’ he said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meanwhile said ‘less than half of Gaza hospitals are functional’.

He hailed Wednesday’s announcement from mediators that Israel and Hamas had finally reached a truce as ‘just about the best news’.

He voiced hope that ‘this agreement marks the end of the darkest chapter in the history of the relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians’.

‘We welcome this news with great relief, but also with sorrow that it has come too late for those who have died in the conflict,’ he said.

He also voiced ‘caution, given that we have had false dawns before, and the deal has not yet been confirmed’.

While the mediators said the deal was due to take effect on Sunday, Tedros urged the sides not to wait.

‘If both sides are committed to a ceasefire, it should start immediately,’ he said. ‘The best medicine is peace’.

‘So, let the healing begin, not just for Gaza, but for Israel as well. This is in everyone’s best interest.’

Peeperkorn said the WHO stood ready to ‘expand its support rapidly’ in the territory.

‘What is critical though is that the significant security the political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza are removed,’ he said.

‘We need a rapid, unhindered and safe access to expedite the flow of aid into and across Gaza.’

Meanwhile, the EU is prepared to redeploy a monitoring mission to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt after a ceasefire deal to end Israel’s war in the territory, the bloc’s top diplomat said Friday.

‘We are ready to do it,’ foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists after meeting Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa in Brussels.

Kallas said the EU needed an invitation from the Palestinian and Israeli sides and agreement from Egypt before it could ‘go forward’.

The 27-nation bloc set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the crossing, but that was suspended two years later after militant Islamists Hamas took control of Gaza.

The comments came as Israel’s security cabinet met Friday to vote on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect this weekend.

If approved, the agreement would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war and initiate on Sunday the release of dozens of hostages held in the territory since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Kallas called the truce deal a “positive breakthrough”, but warned that the road ahead was fraught with potential peril.

“It is still too soon to say whether the war is truly over and we know that there is risk in every step here,” she said.

The EU on Thursday announced a 120 million euros ($123 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza after the ceasefire deal was struck.

“The European Union will continue to work closely with our partners to deliver humanitarian support,” Kallas said.

The Rafah crossing is a crucial entry into Gaza and Egyptian officials have said talks are underway to reopen it to surge aid into the territory.

The EU monitoring mission would include up to 10 European staff, officials said.

Kallas said that in the longer term the EU was working on a new “multi-year support programme for the Palestinian Authority” and was “ready to assist” in rebuilding Gaza.​

 

[Saif]

Ruined, Gaza hopes for respite

Israeli keeps pounding the Palestinian enclave as hours left for ceasefire to take effect

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Ruined, Gaza hopes for respite
Israeli keeps pounding the Palestinian enclave as hours left for ceasefire to take effect

Photo: AFP A relative mourns over the bodies of four members of the Palestinian al-Qadra family (parents and their two children) killed in an Israeli strike that hit their tent north of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, in the yard of the Nasser hospital on January 18, 2025, a day before the expected implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin Sunday morning at 0630 GMT, mediator Qatar said on Saturday after Israel's cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal.

Qatar and the United States, which mediated the deal along with Egypt, had announced the agreement on Wednesday.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued since then. On Saturday, Gaza's Civil Defence rescue agency said at least five members of a family died when a strike hit the tent where they were staying in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem Saturday morning after warning sirens blared and the military said a projectile had been launched from Yemen, whose Iran-backed rebels say they support the Palestinians.

"As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30am on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on X.

In more than 15 months of war between Hamas Palestinian militants and Israel, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of hostages held by the militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

"The government has approved the hostage return plan," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Saturday after cabinet held its vote.

Netanyahu's office said the deal "supports achieving the objectives of the war".

Hamas, however, in a statement on Saturday said Israel had "failed to achieve its aggressive goals" and "only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity."

Israel's justice ministry said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be freed as part of the deal's first phase -- none before 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) on Sunday.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released by Hamas in Gaza.

The truce is to take effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as United States president.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has completed preparations "to assume full responsibility in Gaza" after the war.

Israel has expressed no definitive stance on post-war governance beyond rejecting any role for both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Gaza should be under PA control.

Even before the truce begins, displaced Gazans were preparing to return home.

"I will go to kiss my land," said Nasr al-Gharabli, who fled his home in Gaza City for a camp further south. "If I die on my land, it would be better than being here as a displaced person."

In Jerusalem on Saturday, residents said the deal had been a long time coming.

"Hopefully a maximum amount of hostages will be coming back", said Beeri Yemeni, a university student. "Maybe this is the beginning of (the) end of suffering for both sides, hopefully," he said, adding that "the war needed to end like a long long time ago."

Israel's cabinet endorsement of the deal came despite eight ministers voting against it, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Mediators had worked for months to reach a deal but the efforts were fruitless until Trump's inauguration neared.

Brett McGurk, the pointman for outgoing President Joe Biden, was joined in the region by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in an unusual pairing to finalise the agreement, US officials said.

Israeli authorities assume the 33 captives to be released in the first phase are alive, but Hamas has yet to confirm that.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza's densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences", the Qatari prime minister said.

An Israeli military official said reception points had been established at Kerem Shalom, Erez and Reim, where hostages would be joined by doctors and mental health specialists before being "transported via helicopter or vehicle" to hospitals in Israel.

Israel "is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences", a source said on condition of anonymity.

During talks on Friday, negotiators agreed to form a joint operations room in Cairo to "ensure effective coordination" and compliance with the truce terms, Egyptian state-linked media reported.

Biden said an as of yet unfinalised second phase of the agreement would bring a "permanent end to the war".

In aid-starved Gaza, humanitarian workers caution a monumental task lies ahead.

On Friday, British lawmakers warned that Israeli legislation banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, threatens the truce deal. The ban on the main aid agency in Gaza is to take effect by the end of January.​

 

[Saif]

Will the ceasefire in Gaza hold?

The world must ensure Israel sticks to the deal

www.thedailystar.net

Will the ceasefire in Gaza hold?
The world must ensure Israel sticks to the deal

VISUAL: STAR

After fifteen months of relentless bombardment that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—the Israeli government has agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, set to begin on Sunday morning. The agreement was brokered primarily by incoming US President Donald Trump (with support from the Biden administration), Egypt, and Qatar. While there is some relief that the horrific bloodshed in Gaza may finally come to an end, serious doubts still remain given the realities on the ground.

It is appalling that even after the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday night, at least 122 Palestinians, including 33 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks. What does this say about the future of the ceasefire deal, or the quality of the "peace" to be brought by it?

During the first and second stages of the deal, Israeli hostages will be released, with priority given to children, the sick, and the elderly, while hundreds of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons will also be freed; humanitarian aid—largely withheld by Israel throughout the war—will also be allowed into Gaza. The third phase likely involves Gaza's reconstruction, supervised by Qatar and the UN, along with a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reliance on far-right coalition partners, there is reason to doubt whether Israel will fully relinquish control. Moreover, allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza—now reduced to rubble—feels like a cruel irony. What arrangements are being made to shelter them before their homes are rebuilt?

Israel's history of overwhelming and disproportionate retaliation, along with the unwavering support it received from the US and other Western nations, leaves room for scepticism about whether Palestinians will be treated fairly in this process. Still, as delayed as it is, a ceasefire is something the world—and especially the Palestinian people—desperately needs.

Israel's history of overwhelming and disproportionate retaliation, along with the unwavering support it received from the US and other Western nations, leaves room for scepticism about whether Palestinians will be treated fairly in this process. Still, as delayed as it is, a ceasefire is something the world—and especially the Palestinian people—desperately needs.

The international community now must extend full support for Gaza's reconstruction and recovery. The war's catastrophic consequences—including thousands of disabled, injured, and traumatised children, women, and men—must be addressed with urgent medical care, psychological support, and financial aid. Palestinians must also have the right to choose their own leadership and be free from Israeli control. Most importantly, the US and other Western nations must ensure that Israel does not renege on its commitments under the deal using any pretext.​

 

[Saif]

‘Should we grieve, rejoice, or cry’

Thousands of displaced, war-weary Gazans set off across the devastated Palestinian territory to return to their home areas yesterday after a long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas took effect following an initial delay

www.thedailystar.net

‘Should we grieve, rejoice, or cry’
Displaced Gazans head home through rubble as ceasefire begins

Photo: AFP Displaced Palestinians return to the Jabalia refugee camp through a destroyed neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, shortly before a ceasefire deal came into effect. A study estimated that 59.8% of buildings in the Gaza Strip had been damaged or destroyed since the start of the conflict on October 7 2023.

Thousands of displaced, war-weary Gazans set off across the devastated Palestinian territory to return to their home areas yesterday after a long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas took effect following an initial delay.

Minutes after the truce began, the UN said, the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza, where many residents are returning to nothing.

The ceasefire began nearly three hours later than scheduled. During the delay, Israel's military said it was continuing to operate, with the territory's civil defence agency reporting 19 people killed and 25 wounded in bombardments.

Thousands of Gazans carrying tents, clothes and their personal belongings were seen heading back to their homes, after more than 15 months of war that displaced the vast majority of Gaza's population, in many cases more than once.

In the northern area of Jabalia, hundreds streamed down a sandy path, returning to an apocalyptic landscape piled with rubble and destroyed buildings.

"We came here at six in the morning to find massive, unprecedented destruction," said Walid Abu Jiab, who returned to Jabalia.

"There is nothing left in the north worth living for."

Thaer al-Masri, 41, from Beit Lahia, said he could not describe his feelings. "Should we grieve, rejoice, or cry over what has happened? The only real emotion we feel is pain and loss – the loss of our home, our friends, and our city."

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, people who had not yet returned celebrated their pending homecoming.

"I feel like at last I found some water to drink after getting lost in the desert for 15 months. I feel alive again," Aya, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip for over a year, told Reuters via a chat app.

"I'm very, very happy," said Wafa al-Habeel, a resident . "I want to go back and kiss the ground and the soil of Gaza. I am longing for Gaza (City) and longing for our loved ones."

Aid workers say northern Gaza is particularly hard-hit, lacking all essentials including food, shelter and water.

Jonathan Whittall, interim chief of the UN's OCHA humanitarian agency for the Palestinian territories, said on X that the first trucks started entering following the truce, after "a massive effort" to prepare for a surge of aid across the territory.

Hundreds of trucks had been waiting at the Gaza border, poised to enter. Some were loaded with prefabricated houses.

The truce had been scheduled to begin at 8:30am (0630 GMT) but a last-minute dispute over the list of hostages to be freed on the first day led to the holdup.

Qatar, a mediator of the truce, later confirmed it had gone into effect.

Later, the Israeli military said that three hostages have been released by Hamas and they were with its forces in the Gaza Strip.

"The three released hostages are being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment," the military said in a statement.

Earlier, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group identified the three as women and named them as Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.

Hamas said it was waiting for Israel to furnish "a list containing the names of 90 prisoners from the categories of women and children" also to be released on the first day.

A total of 33 hostages will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce, in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians in Israeli custody.

The truce is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, but a second phase has yet to be finalised.

It follows a deal struck by Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations that had generated false hopes.

In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu called the 42-day first phase a "temporary ceasefire" and said Israel had US support to return to the war if necessary.

In Gaza City, well before the ceasefire went into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.

The Israeli army warned Gaza residents early yesterday not to approach its forces or Israeli territory.

"We urge you not to head towards the buffer zone or IDF forces for your safety," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Telegram, adding that "moving from south to north via Gaza Valley puts you at risk".

Israeli forces had started withdrawing from areas in Gaza's Rafah to the Philadelphi corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza, pro-Hamas media reported.

In Israel, the ceasefire was met with guarded optimism.

"I don't trust our side or their side," said taxi driver David Gutterman. "Always at the last moment something, a problem, can pop up, but all in all, I'm happy."

Shai Zaik, an employee at Tel Aviv's art museum, said he had "mixed feelings" but was "full of hope" that the hostages would return after so many disappointments in the last year."

Israel has prepared reception centres to provide medical treatment and counselling to the freed hostages before they return to their families. Health workers have warned of the psychological challenges the captives will face upon release.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said 600 trucks a day would enter Gaza after the ceasefire took effect, including 50 carrying fuel.

The war's only previous truce, for one week in November 2023, also saw the release of hostages held by militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Since October 2023, Israel's military campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing at least 46,913 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

The truce took effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as president of the United States.

Trump, who claimed credit for the ceasefire deal after months of effort by the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden, told US network NBC on Saturday that he had told Netanyahu the war "has to end".

"We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done," he said.

Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences", Qatar's prime minister said in announcing the deal.​

 

[Saif]

What are the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal?

A six-week initial ceasefire phase includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza

www.thedailystar.net

What are the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal?

Members of the Hamas security forces deploy in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, hours before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas was implemented. Photo: AFP

Details of the Gaza ceasefire deal have not yet been publicly announced by the mediators, Israel or Hamas.

Officials briefed on the deal provided the following elements:

A six-week initial ceasefire phase includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.

The deal requires 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day of the ceasefire, 50 of them carrying fuel, with 300 of the trucks allocated to the north, where conditions for civilians are particularly difficult.

HAMAS
​

• Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50.​
• Hamas will release female hostages and under 19s first, followed by men over 50. Three female hostages are expected to be released through the Red Cross on Sunday after 1400 GMT, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said.​
• Hamas will inform the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where the meeting point will be inside Gaza and the ICRC is expected to begin driving to that location to collect the hostages.​
• Hamas will release the hostages over a six-week period, with at least three hostages released each week and the remainder of the 33 before the end of the period. All living hostages will be released first, followed by remains of dead hostages.​

ISRAEL
​

• Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases.​
• Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since Oct. 7, 2023 by end of the first phase.​
• The total number of Palestinians released will depend on hostages released, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees including men, women and children.​

LATER PHASES
​

• The implementation of the agreement will be guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.​
• Negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one.​
• Phase two is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.​
• A third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza's reconstruction, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.​