As the world awaits the final stage of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, and subsequent enforcement of the peace deal initiated by the American President, Donald Trump, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Palestine to Nigeria, Muhannad Hammouri, said there is no alternative to the long awaited ceasefire. Hoping, however, that Israel will uphold its part of the bargain and halt the killings, which he said, had continued even while negotiations were on, he told BRIDGET CHIEDU ONOCHIE that peace in Gaza is a major asset to the Palestinian people.
What is your view of the ceasefire negotiation between Israel and Palestine also known as Trump Initiative?
The peace deal announced by the US President, Donald Trump, between Israel and Hamas, marked a significant development in the two-year old conflict. Also known as the first phase, the agreement includes a prisoner-hostage swap and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The ceasefire details involved a 20-point framework, including a complete ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Hostage Swap, Hamas has agreed to release all 20 Israeli hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza while Israel will release a corresponding number of Palestinian prisoners. On Gaza Governance, the agreement doesn’t specify who will govern Gaza after the war, leaving this critical issue to be resolved in future negotiations.
How was the news received by Palestinians, having been brokered by the US?
The truth is that both Palestinians and Israelis welcomed the ceasefire with celebrations erupting in Gaza and Israel. The deal has been welcomed by international leaders, including Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese; British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also expressed support, saying he will convene the Israeli cabinet to approve the agreement. However, some far-right Israelis have expressed opposition to the deal.
Do you foresee any challenge with the peace deal?
While details are still emerging, the agreement represents a significant breakthrough in the conflict. However, challenges remained, including ensuring Israel’s complete withdrawal, and addressing Hamas’s demands for guarantees on the ceasefire’s implementation.
What does the peace initiative mean to you? What prospects does it hold for your country and for your people?
Well, it stops the war; it stops the daily killing of women, children and the elderly people. This is the most important thing we are getting out of this. I mean, the whole world witnessed how hard it was on the Palestinians in Gaza during the last two years, and whoever has a conscience in his heart, a living conscience in his heart, will never accept what Israel has done. Until Wednesday, October 8, attacks on Palestinians in Gaza were still going on. Now, we hope that Israel will stop the attacks after the Trump Initiative is implemented. This is the main asset for us. America is behind the initiative and the whole world is in support of it. I don’t see anybody who is against it.
What are the plans to rebuild the country?
That has to be by the international community. They are supposed to do it. Arab world also, Europe, yeah, everybody will stand next to rebuild Gaza. We have seen the impact — negative and disastrous impact in the past two years The killings and destruction of the people. What can be done to forestall future occurrence of this kind of problem?
What plans does the Palestinian government have for the victims in Gaza? The kind of future being envisaged for them considering the humanitarian crises caused by the war, and how do we ensure that the peace, once achieved, is sustained?
This one is really difficult, I must tell you. There is a very high number of Palestinians now orphans. This is really going to be a problem for us – how to face it in the future and how to deal with these children. Thousands of women were turned to widows. The figure changes every single day because bodies buried under the rubbles are being discovered daily. So, no one can really give the exact figure of dead Palestinians in this war until now because many are still under the rubble and whoever is under the rubble is considered as dead body. But we are still digging. So, we are just depending on the international community to put things in the right order. On the humanitarian crisis, the conflict has resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction in Gaza, with many more injured and displaced. The international community, including America, has been working to broker a lasting peace agreement with the United Nations and humanitarian organisations calling for an end to the violence as well as increased aid to Gaza. Meanwhile, the situation remains fluid with ongoing diplomatic efforts to solidify the ceasefire and address the underlying issues driving the conflict.
Has any lesson been learnt from the two-year long devastation of lives and property?
Yes. And I hope this is a lesson to Israel too, that Palestinians can never, ever be kicked out of their country. I mean, this is clear that this is our land and we will remain in our land. What happened in Gaza showed how Palestinians are strict to their lands.
