CAIRO — Bombardment stopped and Israeli troops pulled back in Gaza on Friday under a breakthrough ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. But will the agreement lead, as U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed, to “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”?
It took pressure on both Israel and Hamas from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey, each saying it was time to end a 2-year-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, sparked other conflicts around the region and increasingly isolated Israel.
That push sealed an agreement on a first phase that is to free the remaining living Israeli hostages within days in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Israeli military says ceasefire takes effect in Gaza,