Israel and Hamas agree on the 'first phase' of Gaza ceasefire deal
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TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel and Hamas have agreed to the "first phase" of a ceasefire deal intended to end the devastating Gaza war that unleashed the deadliest fighting ever between Israelis and Palestinians.
The two sides were set to sign the agreement in Cairo after all-day negotiations Wednesday that stretched into the early hours of Thursday in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
After two years of intense fighting, large majorities in Israel and the Palestinian territories support the end to the brutal conflict. Some people stayed up late into the night awaiting the ceasefire announcement, which came at around 2 a.m. Others woke to the news on a rainy morning.
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The pain of the war is still raw for many.
A man in Gaza, Abu Ahmed Eid, told NPR, "What exactly should I be happy for with all the blood that's been shed and all these martyrs?"
Eid said that like most Gaza residents, he's living in a tent with his children. He said he's lost 150 members of his extended family in Israeli attacks.
In Israel, Rotem Cooper said his father was a hostage who died in captivity.
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