From OSV News:
Patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem said in a joint Oct. 14 statement they “rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of those held captive,” which they hailed as “auspicious moment,” noting “the work of peacebuilding has only just begun.”
Recognizing “the enormous efforts of all those in the international community who worked relentlessly to accomplish this major achievement,” they said they “hope and trust that this first stage of the ceasefire truly signals the end of the Gaza War, and that any further disagreements between the parties will be resolved through negotiation and mediation, applying the utmost restraint, rather than the resumption of hostilities.”
The truce, commentators say, is fragile in the Middle East after the signing ceremony in Egypt Oct. 13, where President Donald Trump said that “phase two has started” of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
As part of the deal, four bodies of hostages were handed over by Hamas on Oct. 14, following four on Oct. 13 as Israel has been awaiting the return of the bodies of 28 hostages.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the total number of 90 bodies were returned to Gaza for burial, with a forensics team examining the remains saying they showed signs of mistreatment, AP reported.
Meanwhile, there’s also been recent reaction from my old colleagues at CNEWA:
Scenes of joy, relief and tearful welcomes flooded media across the world Oct. 13 as the remaining Israeli hostages were freed from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
As part of the U.S.-proposed deal, 250 Palestinian prisoners were also released by Israel, with 1,650 more to be freed.
Minutes before the U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the Knesset on Oct. 13, Joseph Hazboun of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission spoke to OSV News and said that with the deal reached, he was “very happy at long last” but “not optimistic enough to say” it’s “a peace agreement” but “a ceasefire.”
“This is the day that we’ve been waiting for two years,” said Hazboun, regional director for CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s Jerusalem office.
“The people that were ordered to evacuate and move all around the Gaza Strip for several times are finally going back to their … areas of residency,” he told OSV News. “I’m not sure what they will find there—probably the ruins of their homes, but at least they will be safe. There is no more bombing from air or from the sea or from the land.”
Addressing the Knesset before Trump spoke, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in English and turning to the U.S. leader, said: “Two weeks ago you succeeded in doing something miraculous. You succeeded in doing something that no one believed was possible.”
“You brought most of the Arab World—most of the world—behind your proposal to free the hostages and end the war,” he said, thanking the U.S. president. “May God bless the covenant between the two promised lands,” Israel and the U.S., he said, wrapping up his speech.
“We gather on a day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of renewed faith, and above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” Trump said, starting his speech to the Knesset.
Hazboun, who spoke to OSV News from Jerusalem, said that Trump “deserves the credit for putting an end to the war” as he “basically informed Netanyahu he has to stop. And now Trump is the guarantor of the end of the war.”
Easing some of the biggest tensions, Israel received the remains of two more hostages Oct. 15, hours after the Israeli military said that one of the bodies previously turned over was not that of a hostage, The Associated Press reported.
