This week, Israel and Hamas come to a ceasefire and hostage deal. Despite peace deal, terrorists attack aid convoy in Pakistani district. US sanctions leader of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), says neither of rival leaders fit for peaceful Sudan.
Israel and Hamas come to a ceasefire and hostage deal
After over a year and three months of brutal war, death, and pain, Israel and Hamas have finally come to a ceasefire and hostage deal. The agreement was reached on January 15, and will take effect starting January 19.
Some key parts of the deal, as reported in Reuters on January 16, include: a six-week initial ceasefire for Israel to withdraw its forces from central Gaza, and for displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza; 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid, including 50 of fuel, being let into Gaza every day of the ceasefire; the release of 33 Israeli hostages by Hamas, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. Female hostages under 19 will be released first, followed by men over 50; 30 Palestinian detainees released by Israel for every civilian hostage, as well as 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases; at least three hostages released each week of the six-week period, and the remainder of the 33 released before the end of the period; living hostages released first, followed by the remains of dead hostages.
The deal’s implementation will be guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The second phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the first phase.
The war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 has caused unbearable suffering for Israelis and Palestinians. On that day, Hamas killed over 1,200 people in its brutal attack on Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion that, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, killed over 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and it is unknown exactly how many of those killed were civilians or fighters.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West bank reached an all time-high, with Crisis Group reporting over 1,000 incidents of settler violence since the war began. The organization reported that over 1,300 Palestinians were driven from their homes in these attacks. Antisemitic violence has also reached record highs. In October 2024, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the US since Hamas’s October 7 attacks, with violence also soaring throughout Europe. The ADL reported on January 14 that 46% of the world’s adult population, an estimated 2.2 billion people, hold deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes.
Despite peace deal, terrorists attack aid convoy in Pakistani district
Despite a peace deal reached on January 1 between Sunni and Shia tribes in Pakistan’s conflict-torn Kurram district, terrorists attacked an aid convoy in the district on January 16. The convoy, which consisted of 35 vehicles, Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali said that one soldier had been killed, and four others wounded in the attack, with three convoy vehicles damaged.
Ali reported that “action was taken” against the terrorists, with six terrorists killed and 10 people injured in the retaliatory action.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebhaz Sharif has vowed to keep the peace in the country’s historically conflicted Kurram district. On January 14, before the attack on the convoy, PM Sharif said the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal,” as quoted in Dawn.
However, severe challenges remain. The highway connecting the district to the rest of Pakistan was closed amidst the sectarian violence. On January 14, Voice of America (VOA) published a report quoting medical staff who told the outlet that residents were suffering from malnutrition and deep psychological distress. This is due to the road that connects the district to the rest of the country being closed to traffic amidst the sectarian violence.
US Sanctions Leader of Sudanese Armed Forces, says neither of rival leaders fir for peaceful Sudan
Last week, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield released a statement determining that “members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.” On January 16, the US imposed sanctions on the RSF’s rival, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a new statement that the SAF has violated international humanitarian law and ignored commitments undertaken in the 2023 “Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.” The statement went on to say that the SAF’s deprivation of food as a method of war and its obstruction of the flow of aid had contributed to the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
The statement read, “Taken together, these sanctions underscore the US view that neither man is fit to govern a future, peaceful Sudan.”
Keywords: Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan, conflict, conflict resolution, peace and conflict, peace, peacebuilding, war, peace and war, ceasefire
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
