New Delhi | WTNS | Jan 21:India has welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressing hope that the agreement would lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

“We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. We hope this will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” the MEA said in a brief statement issued on Thursday (January 16, 2025).

The statement also highlighted India’s consistent position when it came to seeking the release of hostages and a ceasefire in addition to stressing the need for dialogue and democracy.

“We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA statement said.

Announcing a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday (January 15, 2025), Qatar and the United States expressed hope that it would pave the way for a permanent end to the war in Gaza. Egypt was also involved in the negotiations that stretched for more than a year.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani was quoted by media reports as saying that Israel and Hamas have reached a three-phase deal that would come into effect on Sunday (January 19).

According to the agreement, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages. In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This is the second such truce that both sides have agreed to since the attacks on October 7, 2023.

In a statement, outgoing US President Joe Biden said he had laid the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.

Israel launched an all-out assault in Gaza after Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli locations on October 7, 2023, firing at least 2,500 rockets into the country.

Armed groups broke through the fencing around the Gaza Strip and attacked Israeli settlements, killing several hundred people including over 200 attending a music concert. The militants also took about 200 people, including women and children, hostage..

Israel and Palestinian militants have been locked in a bloody conflict since Hamas took over power in Gaza in 2007.