After 460 days of Zionist Israel’s brutal bombing and invasion of Gaza, a ceasefire agreement was forged in the Gaza Strip. It was announced on January 16 by the Qatari government, serving as mediator in the talks, along with the US and Egypt. The agreement’s first phase took effect on January 19.

In a statement, Hamas praised the resoluteness and integrity of the Palestinian people who pushed Israel to agree to a ceasefire. The agreement is a big pivot amid Israel’s promise that it will not stop the invasion until it achieves “absolute victory.” The Palestinians frustrated Israel’s plan to expel them and defeat their desire to be free from its occupation and aggression.

“The agreement to end aggression in Gaza is a victory for our people, our resistance, and the free people of the world,” according to Hamas. Hamas, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and other Palestinian groups, led the valiant defense of Gaza for 15 months. The groups thanked all those overseas for their support in their fight.

They honored the martyred Palestinian warriors in their “valiant and steadfast resistance” amid Israeli and US brutality. They mourned all the innocent children who were murdered and all those oppressed and tortured by the Zionist state.

The ceasefire will undergo three stages. The first provides for an immediate cessation of fighting and the release by Hamas of 33 Israelis (children, women and the elderly aged 50 and over) in its custody in exchange for Israel’s release of up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. This phase requires Israel to withdraw from Gaza population centers and allow the entry of much-needed aid to Palestinian families.

In the second phase, Israel will completely withdraw from Gaza and more prisoner exchanges will occur. In the third phase, the reconstruction of the territory pulverized by Israel airstrikes will begin. All details of the second and third phases will be subject to negotiation during the first phase, which is estimated to last six weeks.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), along with democratic organizations worldwide, congratulated the ceasefire. However, it is recognized that this will not end the Zionist occupation and genocide war. On the very day of the announcement on January 16, Israel carried out another series of bombings. In 24 hours, 101 Palestinians were killed and 264 injured in its airstrikes.

“Let us extol all their fighters whose bravery and brilliance in fighting secured victories for the Palestinian people on both the battlefield and negotiating table,” according to the CPP. The Palestinian people and their freedom fighters showed that no amount of terrorism by the Zionist state of Israel can break their will to fight and their determination to attain their aspiration for freedom.

As of January 17, Israel has killed 46,788 Palestinians in its heightened genocide war in Gaza in the past 15 months. This includes 18,000 children. About 110,265 were injured, of which 25% were seriously injured. More than 90% of Gaza’s population has been evicted from their homes.