Africa4Palestine welcomes Gaza truce, says deal ‘preserves lives’ [VIDEO]

Human Rights group Africa4Palestine has welcomed the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government.

It, however, described the truce as a “pause of the genocide” in Gaza rather than a resolution to the crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

Ceasefire in Gaza

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages being held in Gaza following separate meetings with Qatar’s prime minister.

Pressure to put an end to the fighting had ratcheted up in recent days, as mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States intensified efforts to cement an agreement.

The truce is set to take effect on Sunday, 19 January.

VIDEO: Palestinians gather in front of Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital to celebrate the ceasefire announcement, expressing mixed feelings of "sadness for those we lost" and "an indescribable joy for the end of this massacre." pic.twitter.com/5Bdg0MNHuL

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 16, 2025

Preserving lives

Africa4Palestine said the deal preserves lives but does not erase the crime committed during the conflict.

“The perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and human rights violations will never be let off the hook. A genocide has been committed and no negotiated settlement by the oppressor will enable them to cleanse their hands of the crimes they have committed.”

The organisation has accused Israel of targeting “children, women, the elderly, journalists, medical staff, United Nations workers and civilians in Gaza”.

“To this date, over 46 000 Palestinians have been killed and over 110 000 wounded.

”Since the beginning of the genocide, the United States has vetoed over a dozen ceasefire resolutions in the security council. Various United Nations General Assembly resolutions in different forms that called for a ceasefire have been ignored if not dismissed by Israel and its supporters,” it said.

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Diplomatic success?

Africa4Palestine has also rejected attempts by the US to characterise the ceasefire as a diplomatic “success”, calling for lasting peace and justice.

Meanwhile, Israel on Thursday accused Hamas of backtracking on parts of the ceasefire deal announced a day earlier, and said cabinet will not meet on the deal until Hamas’s agreement is confirmed, according to AFP.

“Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, adding the situation created a “last minute crisis”.

Gaza war

It did not specify which parts of the deal were at issue.

Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, “will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement”.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 46 700 Palestinians and wounded 110 453 since 7 October 2023. At least 1 139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

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