Leaders of Egyptian political parties welcome ceasefire agreement
The flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip began on Sunday following the ceasefire agreement’s taking effect.
An official source in North Sinai was quoted by Al-Qahira News TV channel as confirming that as many as 300 aid trucks began moving from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing heading to the Karm Abu Salem crossing in preparation for entry into Gaza Strip.
Loaded with humanitarian aid varieties and fuel, the trucks had been waiting at the Egyptian side of the crossing since early morning yesterday in anticipation of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the transfer of the three female Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) started in the Gaza Strip before handing them over to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire agreement that took effect earlier yesterday.
The process was reported by Cairo News channel citing a well-informed Egyptian source. The hostages are Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31 and Emily Damari, 28, Al Qahera News channel said.
An agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US, was reached on January 15 to cease fire in Gaza and exchange prisoners and captives between Israel and Hamas.
The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire agreement will see the withdrawal and re-positioning of Israeli forces outside residential areas as well a swap of captives and hostages, return of the displaced to their places of residence in the Gaza Strip and facilitating the departure of the patients and injured to receive treatment.
Meanwhile, leaders of a number of Egyptian political parties have welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached recently between the Palestinian movement of Hamas and Israel and the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
In statements to the Middle East News Agency (MENA) yesterday, they said that achieving the agreement reflects keenness of the Egyptian leadership on defending the rights of the Palestinians, confronting any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause and realising peace and stability in the region.
Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate and return to the rubble of their bombed-out homes yesterday, and Hamas released the first three female hostages under the ceasefire deal that halted fighting in Gaza, Reuters reported.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis cheered, embraced or wept in a square outside the defence headquarters as they watched live video on a giant screen showing the three female hostages exiting a vehicle surrounded by armed Hamas men.
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