by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
GAZA/JERUSALEM/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Hamas declared the end of more than two years of war between Israel and the Islamist group after both sides signed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal aimed at establishing a permanent halt to hostilities in Gaza.
Khalil al-Hayya, a top Hamas official, announced in a televised address Thursday that the group had agreed to what he called a “permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of occupation forces” from Gaza.
“Today we announce that an agreement has been reached to end the war and aggression against our people and to begin implementing a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupation forces,” he stressed.
Al-Hayya added that 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences would be freed alongside 1,700 detainees from Gaza who were arrested after Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
He also claimed that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would reopen “on both sides.” However, neither Israel nor Egypt had confirmed that by Thursday evening.
ISRAELI CABINET DELAYS VOTE
Israel’s government has yet to formally ratify the deal amid an internal debate over prisoner releases — one of the most contentious elements of the U.S. “20-point peace plan”, Israeli sources said.
Once approved, the deal’s first phase will begin immediately, followed by a signing ceremony expected this weekend, attended by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, diplomatic sources said.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, at least 30 were killed in Gaza on Thursday, Hamas-linked Palestinian officials said, after residents reportedly saw smoke and heard explosions in several areas. Israel says it targets fighters of Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and most of its allies.
Humanitarian monitors said the situation underscored concerns that isolated clashes could undermine the truce before it takes full effect.
UN CHIEF WELCOMES DEAL
Despite ongoing skirmishes, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the ceasefire and hostage-release agreement as a “significant step” toward peace and a potential path toward Palestinian statehood.
“This deal offers a glimmer of relief for Palestinians and Israelis alike — it must become the dawn of peace,” Guterres said, urging both sides to seize “this opportunity to end the occupation and move toward a two-state solution.”
The U.N. humanitarian office confirmed plans to increase emergency relief efforts in Gaza once the ceasefire is implemented.
Humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the U.N. had 170,000 metric tons of aid supplies — including food, medical equipment, and shelter materials — ready for immediate deployment pending Israeli approval.
The president of the European Union’s executive European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called the agreement “extraordinary news the world has long waited for”, emphasizing that all hostages must be released and that humanitarian access to Gaza should be guaranteed.
European and Arab foreign ministers met in Paris to discuss the transitional phase under the U.S. plan, reflecting Europe’s intent to support reconstruction and governance arrangements in post-war Gaza.
WARNING OF FRAGILE PEACE
Within the EU’s European Parliament, the Renew Europe group’s foreign affairs coordinator, Hilde Vautmans, warned that “the agreement is an important step, but we must remain cautious … a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and urgent humanitarian access must be ensured.”
In Jerusalem, the speaker of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, officially invited US President Donald J. Trump to address the Israeli parliament on Sunday, the first such speech by an American president since George W. Bush in 2008.
Speaker Amir Ohana praised Trump’s “leadership, courage, perseverance, and vision,” saying it had led not only to the expected release of all hostages taken on October 7 but also to “an unprecedented regional agreement accepted by nearly every country in the Middle East.”
Trump confirmed he plans to travel to Israel, expressing hope he would “arrive in time for the release of the hostages,” expected early next week.
The ceasefire marks the most serious diplomatic breakthrough since Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and triggered a devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza that left tens of thousands dead and displaced most of the enclave’s population.
TURNING POINT FOR MIDDLE EAST?
If fully implemented, the agreement could open the way for broader Middle East peace and the reconstruction of Gaza, under international oversight, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Yet diplomats and analysts warn that the road to lasting peace remains fragile.
They suggest it will depend on whether all sides honor the deal — and whether it can “withstand pressures from hardliners” in both Israel and Gaza.
Yet the ceasefire is seen by its backers as a potential historic turning point, with hopes that the end of the Gaza war could help revive stalled peace efforts and stabilize the region after years of conflict and humanitarian devastation.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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