Collective breath held as ceasefire put to test
The Jewish community in Australia is hoping that a ceasefire in Gaza will turn into a lasting peace, as Israel and Hamas prepare to swap prisoners.
Source: Sky News UK
The two-year war launched by Israel on Gaza after a stunning Hamas attack could be coming to a close, though fears abound as to whether a tenative ceasefire will hold.
Israel’s military offensive on Gaza killed more than 67,000 people, including about 20,000 children, according to the United Nations.
It came after militant group Hamas launched a surprise operation on Israel which reportedly killed 1200 people, with more than 250 taken hostage.
One of those killed was Australian citizen Galit Carbone whose brother Danny Majzner paid tribute to her late Sunday in a vigil organised by Jewish groups in Sydney with thousands in attendance.
“We will not forget October 7 nor its victims,” Israel Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said. Photo: AAP
Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon said he had emphasised to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Hamas must have no role in Gaza’s future governance.
“We will not forget October 7, nor its victims including members of my own family,” he told the crowd.
“We collectively hold our breath, cautiously optimistic that tomorrow our prayers will be answered and our brothers and sisters will be returned home to their families.”
As part of the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas is due to release 48 hostages held in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive, later on Monday (Australian time).
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A Hamas source told the DPA news agency it planned to hand over all living hostages, as well as as many deceased hostages as possible.
Hamas plans to hand over the living hostages to staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross, without a public ceremony or media presence, at three locations in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice has released the names of 250 Palestinians, convicted of murder and other serious crimes, who will also be freed under the deal.
The list does not include senior Hamas commanders that the militant group had sought to free, or prominent figures from other factions such as Marwan al-Barghouti or Ahmed Saadat.
Although that was not expected to derail the agreement, Hamas’ prisoners information office said talks with Israeli mediators about the prisoners to be freed continued.
Israel is also to release 1700 Palestinians who have been detained in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and 22 Palestinian minors, along with the bodies of 360 militant
In a statement delivered overnight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign had not ended.
“There are many security challenges ahead of us. Some of our enemies are trying to rehabilitate themselves in order to attack us again. But we are on it, as we say.”
“Two years of hell”
Former athlete and politician Nova Peris was received warmly at Sunday’s vigil with a standing ovation as she drew links between her Aboriginal heritage and Jewish people with Israel.
“I’m sorry for the lives lost and I’m sorry for the families that continue to mourn loved ones and I pray with you all for the safe return of those still held hostage enduring two years of hell,” she said.
Trade Minister Don Farrell said it was too early to discuss Australian peacekeepers possibly being deployed to the pummelled enclave.
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“The important thing here is that a peace agreement has been achieved and that it holds into the future and there can be a resolution to the ongoing disputes in the Middle East,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
Shamikh Badra, a University of Sydney political science PhD student originally from Gaza, was worried for the safety of his elderly mother and the rest of his family.
“We don’t want a temporary ceasefire, we want to stop this genocide after two years of suffering and two years of watching and worrying” he told AAP.
Badra’s brother and several members of his extended family, including children, were killed. He does not know where their bodies are buried in the rubble.
“What if my family in Khan Younis move again and the bombing starts again. Perhaps it will be more dangerous than before.”
Preparing for release
A message sent from Gal Hirsch, Israel’s co-ordinator for the Hostages and the Missing and obtained by The Associated Press, told hostage families to prepare for the release of their loved ones starting on Monday morning.
Hirsch said preparations in hospitals and in Rei’im camp were complete to receive the live hostages, while the dead will be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.
Israel’s Gal Hirsch (centre) says preparations are complete to receive live hostages. Photo: AAP
An international task force will start working to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within the 72-hour period, said Hirsch.
Officials have said the search for the bodies of the dead, some of whom may be buried under rubble, could take time.
Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning. He will meet families of hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.
Trump will then continue on to Egypt, where the office of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has said he will co-chair a “peace summit” on Monday.
A copy of the signed ceasefire says Hamas must share all information related to any bodies of hostages that are not released within the first 72 hours, and that Israel will provide information about the remains of deceased Palestinians from the Gaza Strip held in Israel.
Aid trucks enter Gaza
Hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks have begun entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt in accordance with the ceasefire deal.
Long lines of trucks carrying aid were stationed in Rafah area were starting to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom and al-Awja crossings, controlled by Israel, the Egyptian Al-Qahera News reported.
The Israeli defence body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza, COGAT, said the amount of aid entering Gaza Strip is expected to ramp up on Sunday to about 600 trucks a day.
-with AAP
