Easy News: Gaza cease-fire

1. 

   Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire in Gaza. It started on the 19th of January.

2. 

   A cease-fire is when both sides agree to stop fighting. It's possible that they can start fighting again in the future. It is different from a peace treaty which is more stable.

3. 

   The latest conflict between Israel and Gaza got worse on the 7th October 2023. Hamas attacked Israel and killed over 1,000 people and took more than 200 people hostage.

4. 

   After the 7th October, Israel's army went into Gaza and dropped bombs on Hamas fighters and civilians. The fighting that has continued since then has killed more than 47,317 people, many of them were civilians not fighting the war.

5. 

   The wider conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for over 100 years.

6. 

   You can read more about the details of the conflict in past Easy News coverage here.

7. 

   The 1st stage of the cease-fire will take 6 weeks. Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinians held in prison.

8. 

   Hamas will release 25 hostages. They were asked to free 33, but have since revealed that 8 of them have died.

9. 

   The 1st 3 hostages were released on the 19th January. They are all women, and include Emily Damari, who is a British citizen.

10. 

    Israel is allowing Palestinians who ran from the fighting to return home. They will also allow hurt Palestinians to leave Gaza to go to a hospital.

11. 

    After 6 weeks, there are plans for a 2nd and 3rd phase for the cease-fire. These could see Hamas releasing all of its hostages, and Israel's army leaving Gaza.

12. 

    Israel and Hamas have not agreed to all of the detail in the phases. Israel has not promised that they will not start fighting again after the hostages have been released.

13. 

    Israel has said that Hamas can no longer rule Gaza. In the past they have said the Israeli army cannot leave Gaza as long as Hamas rules it.

14. 

    Israel and Hamas have been talking about a cease-fire for over a year. The United States of America, Egypt, and Qatar have been trying to help them agree.

15. 

    The United States of America are a very important friend to Israel. The United States have given Israel billions of dollars to spend on their military.

16. 

    In 2024, The United States of America elected Donald Trump as President. In December Donald Trump said there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages weren't free by the 20th of January.

17. 

    Joe Biden, the previous President of the United States, has said that the agreement began in the peace talks held when he was president.

18. 

    It is very hard to say how long the cease-fire will last for. Any small amount of fighting by Israel or Hamas may ruin the cease-fire.

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