TRANSCRIPT
Feelings of anxiety and anticipation are being felt by Israelis and two million besieged Palestinians, as parties take the first fragile step towards peace in Gaza.
The first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes effect today (at 5:30pm AEST 19 Jan), with the beginning of an initial six-week ceasefire, as well as the first in a series of exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
But just hours before the deal’s commencement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he reserves the right to resume the war.
"I promise you we will meet all the goals of the war. We will bring everyone home. If we have to go back to fighting, we will do it in new ways and we will do it very powerfully. We reserve the right to return to fighting if needed with the backing of the United States."
Israel has continued its airstrikes in Gaza in recent days, killing at least 122 Palestinians and injuring 270 others since the deal was announced on Thursday - adding to the death toll of at least 46,600 Palestinians in the last 15 months of fighting.
Mr Netanyahu's statement followed another major development that threatens the collapse of his coalition government: the resignation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in protest of the ceasefire.
Mr Ben-Gvir has also called on close ally and Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, to do the same unless Israel continues the war and eradicates Hamas from Gaza.
If the ministers and their parties were to leave the coalition, it would see Mr Netanyahu lose his government's majority in the Knesset, although opposition parties have agreed to support the Prime Minister if the ceasefire moves forward.
Delivering his assessment of the cost of Israel's military operations, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Mr Netanyahu's refusal to consider an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza has been damaging.
"Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and re-emerge. We assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost."
With the destruction of Hamas so far unsuccessful, the Israeli government is hoping that the ceasefire deal will deliver another war goal: that of returning the surviving hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200.
The Israeli army says it has completed preparations to gradually receive 33 hostages in a series of exchanges for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, over the next six weeks.
The White House says three female hostages will be among the first to be released to Israel through the Red Cross.
Israel says Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva is readying a special ward to welcome the returning hostages.
At a rally for the hostages in Sderot, one woman told SBS that she hopes for the best but believes the ceasefire could be broken at any time.
"It's very fragile. It could be broken any minute now from our side and from their side. So we only have to pray that each day will bring more good news."
And in the occupied West Bank, families are preparing for the release of up to 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israel.
On the first day of the ceasefire, 95 Palestinians - all women and children - will be set free.
Nasser Ataya says his son will be coming home for his 19th birthday after being arrested in October 2023.
"At the beginning of the war, there was a deal, and we thought that my son's name would be part of that deal, but that didn’t happen. For this reason, this time, I don’t want to say that we lost hope, but we didn’t expect it. However, our luck was good, and thank God, it happened. The feeling we have about it is indescribable."
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say many Palestinian detainees are being held without a criminal charge or trial.
One of those detainees imprisoned without charge for over a year is MP and human rights activist Khalida Jarrar.
Her sister Salam Alratrot has told Middle East Eye that she is expecting her release in the first wave of exchanges.
Meanwhile, Egypt is preparing to open the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s primary link to the outside world, for humanitarian aid to flow through.
The crossing has been closed since Israeli forces took control of the area last May.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty says plans are in place to allow up to 600 aid trucks daily into Gaza through the crossing.
"The Rafah crossing will start operating soon and is being prepared to allow the biggest amount of aid. We have agreed on allowing 600 trucks daily inside the Strip including 50 fuel trucks and we hope that 300 trucks go to the north of the strip because this area is very distressed, and the situation is worse and more disastrous than the rest of the Strip."
