From csmonitor.com
After 15 months of war and suffering, Israelis and Palestinians holding out for a ceasefire and hostage deal appear to be getting a pause, but not yet peace.
A deal that was announced with great fanfare late Wednesday, and set to be implemented starting Sunday, provides for a six-week ceasefire and the release of some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for scores of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The agreement calls for fresh negotiations for second and third phases that would follow the initial ceasefire and lead to an end of hostilities.
But even as a sense of relief swept through Israel and Gaza, it was accompanied by trepidation and wariness over the possibility that the war might resume and the hostages might not return.
The deal’s fragility was tested almost immediately. In the 16 hours after the Wednesday announcements by Qatar and the United States that a deal had been reached, Israeli airstrikes killed 81 people in Gaza, according to local authorities.
On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed an Israeli Cabinet vote to ratify the deal, accusing Hamas of backtracking on some of its commitments “in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.” Hamas issued a statement reasserting its commitment.
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