Hamas says it 'is ready for a ceasefire' in Gaza after deal is struck between Hezbollah and Israel

Hamas is acceptable to scope a ceasefire successful the Gaza, a elder authoritative successful the Palestinian radical said, hailing the ceasefire that took clasp successful Lebanon aboriginal this morning.

'We person informed mediators successful Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Hamas is acceptable for a ceasefire statement and a superior woody to speech prisoners,' the authoritative told AFP, nevertheless accusing Israel of obstructing an agreement.

The connection from Hamas' precocious brass comes specified hours aft Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire aft months of bitter warring and stalled negotiations.

The cessation of hostilities was established aft Israel's information furniture past nighttime voted 10-1 successful favour of a woody aimed astatine a 60-day truce that could signifier the ground of a lasting bid deal.

It came into effect astatine 4am section time, 2am GMT today.

But Israel's aerial unit continues to demolish targets crossed Gaza, arsenic horrifying photos emerged overnight of rescue teams pulling breached bodies from the rubble of buildings.

US President Joe Biden hailed the ceasefire with Hezbollah arsenic 'good news', portion stressing that Israel 'retains the close to aforesaid defence' if the Lebanese radical breaks the presumption of the agreement.

He said it 'heralds a caller commencement for Lebanon', beleaguered by months of bombardment and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

Netanyahu's bureau said: 'Israel appreciates the publication of the United States successful the process, and maintains its close to enactment against immoderate menace to its security.'

Hezbollah is yet to comment.

Netanyahu declared the woody would let thousands of Israeli families to instrumentality to their homes aft months displaced by the struggle connected the bluish border.

He stressed the woody would beryllium connected 'what happens' and said Israel would support 'full' state to enactment successful Lebanon, pushing backmost connected cynicism implicit the terms.

Netanyahu added that a truce would let Israel to 'focus connected the Iranian threat' and enactment unit connected Hamas aft much than a twelvemonth of conflict.

He spoke connected Tuesday aft weeks of discussions implicit a woody mediated with Hezbollah by the authorities of Lebanon.

The statement is understood to beryllium based connected UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the warfare betwixt Hezbollah successful Israel successful 2006.

The Israeli Prime Minister went connected to denote that the truce with Hezbollah would allow Israel to absorption connected the looming menace from Iran, which struck Israel with missiles connected October 1 and April 13 - the archetypal nonstop attacks from Iran successful Israel's history.

He besides cited the military, saying the cessation of hostilities meant the Israeli Defence Forces could 'breather' and 'replenish stocks'.

He added that Israel's forces would present beryllium capable to 'separate the fronts', arsenic 'Hamas was counting connected Hezbollah to combat by its side'.

'With Hezbollah retired of the picture, Hamas is near connected its own. We volition summation our unit connected Hamas and that volition assistance escaped the remaining hostages successful Gaza, helium said. 

Israeli forces person been locked successful aggravated clashes with Hezbollah since precocious September, escalating their run with a crushed violative into the southbound aft astir a twelvemonth of cross-border exchanges.

Lebanese officials echoed enactment for a woody aft months caught successful the crossfire.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the woody was a 'fundamental step' towards determination stability.

He added that Lebanon was committed to strengthening the beingness of its service successful the south, per the presumption of the agreement.

Strikes nevertheless continued to lb Beirut into Tuesday evening. 

To date, the Lebanese wellness ministry estimates that astatine slightest 3,823 radical person been killed successful the state since October 2023, astir of them since September. 

Israel has sought to oust Hezbollah from its strongholds successful confederate Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut with immoderate 70,000 radical present displaced from bluish Israel by the conflict.

In caller months, its subject has killed astir each of the group's leaders. But planetary unit mounts to de-escalate amid fears of the struggle spilling into a determination war.

The woody to extremity the warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah calls for an archetypal two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces volition retreat from Lebanon and Hezbollah volition extremity its equipped beingness on the confederate border, southbound of the Litani River. 

The withdrawals volition beryllium accompanied by an influx of thousands much Lebanese service troops, who person been mostly sidelined successful the war, to patrol the borderline country on with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force.

The woody echoes the existing Resolution 1701, that critics accidental did small to support Hezbollah astatine bay.

When Israel entered Lebanon earlier this year, it cited perceived inaction from the United Nations to support Hezbollah from expanding beyond its agreed borders.

Hezbollah ne'er ended its beingness successful confederate Lebanon, portion Lebanon says Israel regularly violated its airspace and occupied tiny patches of its territory.

But nether the 2006 agreement, Israel was besides not expected to intervene straight to propulsion Hezbollah back.

Netanyahu spoke contiguous of a 'paradigm displacement successful information for Israel', and volition anticipation to person Israelis that the caller woody volition pave the mode for a stronger solution than 1701 that overcomes its shortcomings.

'If Hezbollah violates the statement and attempts to rearm, we volition strike,' helium insisted. 

Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and erstwhile Ambassador of the UK to Yemen, told MailOnline: 'This is beauteous overmuch a full Israeli victory. Hezbollah’s leadership, infrastructure, communications and weaponry person been severely damaged. 

'Hezbollah initiated the intensification of hostilities 13 months ago, linking their run with the Palestinian cause. Now they person agreed to halt with their Hamas allies inactive being pummeled. 

'Netanyahu has rubbed this successful by saying a calming connected the bluish beforehand volition escaped up assets and bandwidth for intensified enactment against Hamas and Iran.'

He noted that the woody whitethorn beryllium 'fragile', placing a batch of work connected the Lebanese authorities, who are expected to enactment intimately with the US to clasp up their extremity of the deal.

'Israel volition not permission thing to the UN successful aboriginal - nor volition the incoming US Administration inquire them to.

'Israel volition usage its 60 time withdrawal play to marque definite Hezbollah has withdrawn wholly northbound of the Litani River.'

Mr Fitton-Brown suggested Hamas, the Houthis and Iran's Shia militias volition apt beryllium 'disappointed' by Hezbollah's attack to the ceasefire.

He besides warned different groups wrong Lebanon whitethorn present look to 'see whether they tin loosen Hezbollah's (and Iran's) grip connected Lebanon.  

Alon Pinkas, an Israeli diplomat and erstwhile ambassador, told Al Jazeera the woody inactive looks 'very fragile' due to the fact that it looks 'very hard to support and prolong successful the agelong run'.

He told the outlet the clauses successful the woody are 'unenforceable', and cited mounting absorption from some the centre-left and close wrong Israel.

American officials, starring the talks, nevertheless spoke optimistically of advancement towards securing lasting peace.

President Biden said this evening the woody was 'good news', and confirmed some Israel and the Lebanese authorities had accepted a connection to 'end the devastating struggle betwixt Israel and Lebanon'.

He reiterated that Israel could inactive retaliate if Hezbollah 'or immoderate different group' breaks the presumption of the 60-day deal. 

'Let maine beryllium clear, if Hezbollah oregon anyone other breaks the woody and poses a nonstop menace to Israel, past Israel retains the close to aforesaid defense, accordant with planetary law.'

'Since the warfare with Hezbollah began, implicit 70,000 Israelis person been forced to unrecorded arsenic exile successful their ain country, helplessly watching their homes, their businesses, their communities arsenic they are bombarded and destroyed,' helium said connected Tuesday.

'And implicit 300,000 Lebanese radical person besides been forced to unrecorded arsenic refugees successful their ain country.

'All told, this has been the deadliest struggle betwixt Israel and Hezbollah successful decades.' 

He added that the radical of Gaza besides 'deserve an extremity of the warring and displacement' aft much than a twelvemonth of near-relentless aerial strikes and incursion.

He said the woody with Hezbollah 'brings america person to realising the affirmative agenda' of his presidency, urging 'a aboriginal wherever Palestinians person a authorities of their own' that 'fulfills its people's morganatic aspirations' and cannot 'threaten Israel oregon harbour violent groups with backing from Iran.' 

Biden added that the US would pb a caller 'push' for a ceasefire successful Gaza - arsenic helium looks to permission a lasting power earlier handing implicit to president-elect Trump successful January.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said contiguous that a woody could assistance extremity the Gaza struggle 'by de-escalating tensions successful the region', contempt Netanyahu's comments.

Blinken said that aft months of 'intensive diplomatic effort' with partners including France, moving with Lebanon and Israel, helium hoped to scope a decision 'very soon'.

'It volition marque a large quality successful redeeming lives and livelihoods successful Lebanon and successful Israel. It volition marque a large quality successful creating the conditions that volition let radical to instrumentality to their location safely successful bluish Israel and successful confederate Lebanon,' helium said.

The United States and France volition enactment 'to guarantee this statement is afloat implemented' and pb planetary efforts for 'capacity-building' of the Lebanese army, Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said successful a associated statement.

Keir Starmer said the 'long overdue' ceasefire would 'provide immoderate measurement of relief' to the civilian populations of some Lebanon and Israel aft months of 'devastating struggle and bloodshed'.

He stressed the request for the woody to beryllium 'turned into a lasting governmental solution successful Lebanon, based connected Security Council Resolution 1701' that would let civilians to instrumentality 'permanently' to their homes and for communities to rebuild.

'The UK and its allies volition proceed to beryllium astatine the forefront of efforts to interruption the ongoing rhythm of unit successful pursuit of a long-term, sustainable bid successful the Middle East,' helium said.

'We indispensable spot contiguous advancement towards a ceasefire woody successful Gaza, the merchandise of each hostages and the removal of restrictions connected desperately needed humanitarian aid.'

EU main Ursula von der Leyen hailed the 'very encouraging news', saying the woody would summation Lebanon's 'internal information and stability'.

The announcement was welcomed 'first and foremost for the Lebanese and Israeli radical affected by the fighting,' Von der Leyen said connected X.

'Lebanon volition person an accidental to summation interior information and stableness acknowledgment to Hezbollah's reduced influence.'

Amelia Whitworth, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Youth astatine planetary children's foundation Plan International UK, told MailOnline: 'We invited the quality of a ceasefire successful Lebanon. 

'Today's statement indispensable enactment arsenic a captious measurement towards a sustained, imperishable ceasefire - some successful Lebanon and crossed Gaza and the wider Middle East region. 

'The horrors indispensable halt immediately: each children merit to bask their puerility escaped from the menace of violence.' 

Ms Whitworth noted that the 'extreme violence' had already seen much than 3,000 radical killed, including astatine slightest 200 children.

The fig of internally displaced radical wrong Lebanon has reached astir 900,000, portion much than fractional a cardinal person fled the country.

Lebanon was location to thousands of displaced radical from determination conflicts including the Syrian Civil War earlier warring broke out.

Between September 23 and October 25, astir 350,000 Syrians returned to war-torn Syria to debar the struggle successful Lebanon, Lebanese authorities report.

As the announcement came, sirens sounded successful cardinal and bluish Israel, according to the Israeli army.

'Three projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were successfully intercepted by the IAF (Israeli aerial force),' it announced.

Strikes besides continued to stone Beirut successful the hours earlier the ceasefire took effect. 

Some of the strikes came soon aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the information furniture was acceptable to hold to the truce.

Israel's subject had earlier issued an evacuation informing up of the strike, sparking panic arsenic radical tried to fly the country amid dense traffic.

A Lebanese information source, requesting anonymity, told the AFP quality bureau the onslaught targeted 'a wealth speech and transportation company'.

Moments aft Biden said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to the deal, attacks shook an flat successful the Khandaq al-Ghamiq country of Beirut, MTV Lebanon News reported. 

Despite the occurrence successful agreeing a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Benjamin Netanyahu separately faces an apprehension warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) implicit his behaviour successful Gaza.

It said determination were 'reasonable grounds to believe' that some Netanyahu and his erstwhile defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were liable for the 'war transgression of starvation arsenic a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and different inhumane acts'.

Israel's 13-month run successful Gaza has killed much than 44,000 radical and displaced astir each the enclave's colonisation astatine slightest once, according to Gaza officials.

Israel began its violative aft the Hamas-led onslaught connected Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 radical successful confederate Israel, with much than 250 others taken hostage, Israel has said. 

The ICC besides named Hamas person Ibrahim Al-Masri, citing the wide killings of the October 7 attacks. Israel says it has already killed Masri. 

The determination obliges the 124 states enactment to the pact to enactment connected apprehension warrants it issues.

The EU's overseas argumentation main reiterated that the decisions are binding and leaders cannot prime and take portion warrants to enactment upon.

'The states that signed the Rome normal are obliged to instrumentality the determination of the court. It's not optional,' Josep Borrell, the EU's apical diplomat, said during a sojourn to Cyprus this week.

Several EU states person said they volition conscionable their commitments nether the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to sojourn his country, assuring him helium would look nary risks if helium did so.

The United States rejected the ICC's determination and Israel said the ICC determination was antisemitic.

Neither are enactment to the Rome Statute.

'Every clip idiosyncratic disagrees with the argumentation of 1 Israeli authorities - (they are) being accused of antisemitism,' said Borrell, whose word arsenic EU overseas argumentation main ends this month.

'I person the close to criticise the decisions of the Israeli government, beryllium it Mr Netanyahu oregon idiosyncratic else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That's enough.'