Iran has welcomed the agreement to end the Gaza conflict, but at the same time warned of a possible breach of Israeli commitments. “Tehran supports any initiative that stops the genocide, ensures the complete withdrawal of occupying forces and enables humanitarian assistance,” the Foreign Ministry said in an official statement.
However, all parties involved should remain vigilant against deception and lack of reliability on the part of Israel, the ministry said, according to the Isna news agency. Tehran also emphasized that it is the responsibility of the international community to hold Israel accountable for war crimes and end its decades of impunity. Support for Palestine and militant groups such as Hamas is a central part of Iran’s foreign policy doctrine.
The Houthis in Yemen have commented positively on the breakthrough in the Gaza negotiations. “We reiterate our support for any effort aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” a representative of the Houthis, allied with the Islamist Hamas, told Yemen’s Saba news agency. The organization welcomes any agreement that protects the rights of Palestinians.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began two years ago, the Yemeni militia has repeatedly attacked Israel with rockets and drones – according to their own statements as an expression of their solidarity with Hamas. In return, Israel repeatedly attacked targets in Yemen. The representative did not comment on the militia’s attacks on Israel or on ships in the Red Sea and whether these would be stopped or continued.
Russia is ready to support US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, according to President Vladimir Putin. “We very much hope that these initiatives of the US president will actually be put into practice,” Putin said at a summit in Tajikistan.
US President Donald Trump is expected in Jerusalem on Sunday. Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office says his plans for Sunday have been canceled in light of the expected visit. There is currently no official announcement.
Israel and Hamas signed the ceasefire agreement announced by Donald Trump on Thursday morning. An Israeli government spokeswoman said this on Thursday afternoon. The agreement is the first phase of the US government’s peace plan. Read more about this here.
An international task force made up of Israeli, American, Qatari and Egyptian forces is tasked with bringing back the bodies of dead Hamas hostages from Gaza. This is reported by the “Jerusalem Post”. The operation is scheduled to begin after the start of the announced ceasefire.
Among other things, the task force is supposed to use excavators to demolish buildings and dig under them for bodies. The goal: to recover as many bodies as possible within 72 hours.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) has described peacekeepers and a legal framework as necessary components of a future plan for the Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas should no longer pose a threat, explains Wadephul on the short message service X.
This will also be discussed with international partners at a conference in Paris on Thursday. Humanitarian and medical aid must also reach the Gaza Strip quickly. People need a perspective on reconstruction: “So that the terrible suffering can come to an end.”
After the breakthrough in negotiations to end the Gaza war, Germany wants to invite people to a reconstruction conference together with Egypt. “But this will have to be a politically broader conference that also sets out the political framework for the Gaza Strip and of course always keeps in mind that the end result will have to be a two-state solution,” said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) on the sidelines of a Western Balkans conference in the Northern Irish capital Belfast.
A reconstruction conference is “the next necessary step,” said Wadephul, who called the breakthrough in the negotiations historic. In the evening, European and Arab foreign ministers will speak on the subject at a conference in Paris. This meeting is part of what is needed now. “But Israel is missing from the table and Israel belongs at the table,” he demanded. The reconstruction conference, to which Germany and Egypt want to invite, “must be one in which Israel and the United States are present.” Germany will also provide humanitarian aid and support the establishment of an administration in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the ceasefire will only come into force the evening after ratification by the cabinet. The state-affiliated Egyptian television station Qahera TV had previously reported that the ceasefire came into force at 11 a.m. German time. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said there was an agreement for a ceasefire and an end to the war in the Gaza Strip: “The world is witnessing a historic moment.”
Several Israeli and Egyptian media outlets report that a ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel began on Thursday at 11 a.m. German time. It is said to be part of an agreement that Israel and Hamas want to sign around midday.
Before the ceasefire began, Israel carried out massive attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. Several videos from eyewitnesses show the effects of the airstrikes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on short message service X that he was very pleased that negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Egypt had led to a ceasefire. Turkey contributed to the talks. Ankara will closely monitor the strict implementation of the agreement and continue to contribute to the process. Turkey will not rest until a sovereign Palestinian state is established.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The agreement gives him “hope that these efforts will be a prelude to a lasting political solution” in the region, Abbas was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency on Thursday. Such a solution must include “an end to the Israeli occupation” and lead to the “establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
According to an insider, the agreement, which includes the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, is expected to be signed on Thursday at 11 a.m. (12 p.m. in Israel). As soon as the agreement is signed, a ceasefire should come into force in the Gaza Strip, the person familiar with the process told the Reuters news agency.
Following the breakthrough in negotiations to end the Gaza war, UN emergency aid coordinator Tom Fletcher has called for action in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible. “Let’s get the hostages out and provide help quickly,” he wrote on the X platform.
“Our teams are fully mobilized to get the trucks moving on a large scale and save lives,” he added. But they needed secure access.
The agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas to implement a first phase of Trump’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip also affects the Israeli military. This is probably preparing for “strong defensive measures”.
Various heads of state and government have welcomed the announced ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas with much hope. Israeli President Isaac Herzog even wants to award US President Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.
