After 15 months of conflict that claimed the lives of 46,000 people, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. The six-week-long ceasefire agreement will be implemented from Sunday.
In the initial phase, some Israeli hostages will be released first. Following this, Israel will release Palestinian detainees. Israeli forces will also withdraw from the war zones. During this period, negotiations to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire will continue.
The ceasefire agreement has been welcomed by the United Nations, the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and other countries, despite opposition from some members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and left-wing leaders.
This agreement will allow millions of displaced Gazans to return home and ensure the release of hostages.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023. Hamas militants entered Israel from the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory, and launched an attack, killing 1,200 people, including 10 Nepali students. They also took 250 people hostage, including Nepal’s Bipin Joshi.
In response, Israel launched a counterattack. Air and ground operations by Israel resulted in the deaths of 46,000 people.
Key events in the Israel-Hamas war:
- October 7, 2023: Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip and launched an attack.
- October 7, 2023: Lebanon and Hezbollah attacked Israel, declaring their support for Palestine.
- October 13, 2023: Israel urged Gaza residents to move south, leading to the displacement of the entire Gaza population.
- October 19, 2023: A U.S. Navy ship intercepted a drone launched from Yemen toward Israel. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels continued attacks on Israel and Red Sea ports.
- October 21, 2023: Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, Egypt allowed relief materials to enter Gaza through the Rafah border.
- October 27, 2023: Israel launched its first ground attack in Gaza.
- November 15, 2023: Israeli forces captured Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, reportedly used by Hamas. Within weeks, all hospitals in Gaza shut down.
- November 21, 2023: Israel and Hamas announced a 7-day ceasefire and released half of the hostages.
- December 1, 2023: The war resumed.
- January 26, 2024: The International Criminal Court in The Hague ordered Israel to stop the genocide.
- February 29, 2024: Over 100 Gaza residents waiting for relief materials were killed in an Israeli attack.
- March 7, 2024: Amid a food crisis in Gaza, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the creation of a temporary port to deliver relief supplies.
- April 1, 2024: An Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus killed military officials. Iran retaliated with hundreds of missile strikes on Israel.
- May 5, 2024: Hamas expressed its commitment to a ceasefire proposal, but Israel rejected it, continuing the war.
- June 23, 2024: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the fight against Hamas in Gaza was nearing its conclusion.
- June 25, 2024: The Global Hunger Monitor warned of increased risks of starvation deaths in Gaza.
- July 2, 2024: Israel ordered residents of Khan Yunis and Rafah to evacuate, marking the largest directive since the war began, according to the United Nations.
- July 27, 2024: A Hezbollah rocket attack on Israel’s occupied Golan Heights killed 12 people, including children.
- August 1, 2024: The Israeli military claimed to have killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, with no response from Hamas.
- September 17, 2024: Israel claimed to have destroyed equipment used by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
- September 28, 2024: An Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
- October 5, 2024: The Israeli army launched a major military campaign against Hamas in northern Gaza.
- January 15, 2025: After 15 months of conflict, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement.