This week, Israel and Gaza’s ceasefire and hostage exchange begins. ASEAN tells Myanmar to prioritize peace over election. Relief convoy reaches conflicted Pakistan district as civilians are displaced.
Israel and Gaza’s Ceasefire and Hostage Exchange Begins
Israel and Gaza’s ceasefire and hostage exchange began on Sunday, January 19. Hamas released three women hostages from Gaza, and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners. Tensions remained high, and the ceasefire’s start was delayed by nearly three hours, with Israel saying that Hamas had not delivered the names of the hostages to be released. The Israeli military continued to perform airstrikes on Gaza, killing at least 19 Palestinians and injuring 36 more.
When Hamas eventually named the hostages to be released, Israel’s military paused its operations in Gaza for the first time since a week-long ceasefire and hostage exchange in November 2023, BBC reported.
The hostages released are: Romi Gonen, 24; Doron Steinbrecher, 31; and Emily Damari, 28. All three are Israeli citizens, and Damari is also a British citizen. Among the 90 Palestinian prisoners released, 69 are women, and nine are minors, the youngest of whom is 15, CNN reported.
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told BBC that the deal is the “last chance for Gaza, and the last chance for the region.”
Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages, as well as the remains of deceased hostages. Meanwhile, Israel is expected to release 1,737 prisoners, including 120 women and children. The ceasefire remains fragile, with Israel’s military already reporting on January 23 that it fired at masked, armed suspects in southern Gaza who posed a threat to their safety.
To read more on the background of the hostage and ceasefire deal, click here.
ASEAN Tells Myanmar to Prioritize Peace over Election
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have called on Myanmar to prioritize peace over election plans for this year. Malaysian foreign minister Mohamad Hasan told a press conference on January 19 that ASEAN called for all warring sides to stop fighting, and told the junta’s representative to allow unhindered humanitarian access, Reuters reported.
Hasan was quoted in Al Jazeera saying, “We said the election has to be inclusive. The election cannot be in isolation, it has to involve all stakeholders,” adding that “Our priority is to end the violence.”
Hasan also said that Malaysia wanted to know “what Myanmar has in mind,” and called on Myanmar to adhere to the Five Point Consensus— a peace plan made months after the coup seized power in 2021— and start dialogue.
Malaysia named ex-diplomat Othman Hashim as the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN’s special envoy on Myanmar’s crisis, and Hasan said that Hashim would soon visit Myanmar to convince all sides to implement the Five Point Consensus.
Relief Convoy Reaches Conflicted Pakistan District as Civilians are Displaced
A relief convoy of 61 vehicles reached Pakistan’s conflicted Kurram district on January 22. The convoy, which carried flour, sugar, fruits, medicine, and vegetables, arrived in Kurram’s Alizai area under tight security.
The most recent wave of violence in Kurram began on November 21, when gunmen attacked a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly shias. Last week, despite a peace deal reached on January 1 between Sunni and Shia tribes in Kurram, militants attacked an aid convoy in the district on January 16. Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali said that one soldier had been killed, and four others wounded in the attack, with three convoy vehicles damaged. After the attack on the aid convoy, there was a military-led operation to clear areas of the district of militants. The operation concluded on January 22 after four days.
Civilians have been displaced by the violence. Abbas Majeed Marwat, the Kohat Regional Police Officer (RPO), told Arab News that as of January 18, over 20 families had relocated from the Bagan area, and more were leaving due to the situation. Marwat said that he and the minister of Kohat had visited proposed sites for Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDP) camps in Hangu “to inspect the administrative and security arrangements.”
Keywords: conflict, peace, peace and conflict, reconciliation, peacebuilding, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, ceasefire, Myanmar, Pakistan
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.
