Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement, but as Gazans celebrated the news, Israeli forces continued to bomb the besieged enclave.

Residents across Gaza poured into the streets in celebration on Thursday after the news.

But Israeli air strikes continued to pound Gaza, killing more than 70 people in one attack on a residential building, according to local authorities.

The violence underscored the fragile nature of the agreement, which mediators say is only the first phase of a broader deal still being finalised.

The ceasefire framework was reached following intensive talks in Egypt this week and includes the exchange of Palestinian captives for Israeli captives.

The agreement also provides for an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.

US President Donald Trump, who claimed personal credit for brokering the deal, opened a cabinet meeting on Thursday by declaring: “We ended the war in Gaza, and on a much bigger basis, created peace… an everlasting peace in the Middle East.”

Key political questions, including the future governance of Gaza, remain unresolved.

Trump’s broader plan envisions Hamas’s disarmament and the establishment of a transitional Gaza authority under his oversight — ideas that have yet to be accepted by either party.

Israel has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians and injured 170,000 since October 2023. Many more remain missing under the rubble of flattened neighbourhoods.

International calls for a permanent ceasefire have grown louder amid the UN reporting famine in Gaza and saying Israel is carrying out genocide.

The reaction

Hamas welcomed the agreement, expressing gratitude to Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the US for their mediation efforts. “We highly appreciate the efforts of our brothers and mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and we also value the efforts of US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war completely and achieving a full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” the group said.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the deal and reiterated his call for a two-state solution.

Although the ceasefire deal sparked celebrations across Israel, it also stirred unease within the influential far-right factions of the governing coalition in the country.

“Immediately after the hostages return home, the state of Israel will continue to strive with all its might for the true eradication of Hamas and the genuine disarmament of Gaza, so that it no longer poses a threat to Israel,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a post on X.

World leaders welcomed the announcement. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would take part in the monitoring mission to ensure the truce holds. “God willing, we as Turkey will take part in the mission force that will monitor the agreement’s implementation in the field,” he said in a speech.

Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal as a potential step towards “a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

Meanwhile, Iran urged the international community to “prevent Israel from violating its obligations in Gaza.”