- January 17, 2025 Storyline: Palestinian experts on Friday expressed their concerns over the implementation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement which will take effect on Sunday. Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed on the Gaza ceasefire and hostages deal after intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The agreement includes an initial 42-day phase, during which more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza will halt, and 33 hostages held in Gaza will be released in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. According to reports of Arab media, Israel has maintained an ambiguous stance on the issue of a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip. Israeli media outlets have quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying on Friday that Israel has received explicit assurances from the United States that it will be able to resume its intense strikes on Gaza with U.S. support if negotiations in the second phase of the agreement fail. Also on Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian government is ready to assume "full responsibility" for the post-war situation in Gaza, and the Palestinian side is ready to collaborate with Arab countries and other international allies to stabilize the situation in Gaza. However, Netanyahu has consistently maintained that he will not accept the Palestinian government's involvement in the governance of Gaza after the conflict. Shotlist: Gaza Strip - Recent: 1. Various of displaced people; damaged vehicles, buildings; rubbles; Ramallah, West Bank - Jan 17, 2025: 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Imad Abu Awad, Palestinian expert in Israeli affairs: "The full implementation of the agreement's terms remains a challenge. I personally believe the agreement will face many hurdles, and the most challenging one is that Israel may try to violate the agreement as they did in Lebanon. This will trigger a response from the Palestinian resistance, and that response may then be unconstrained and unlimited." Gaza Strip - Recent: 3. Various of displaced people; damaged buildings; rubbles; Ramallah, West Bank - Jan 17, 2025: 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jehad Harb, director, THABAT Center for research and opinion polls: "The future of the Gaza Strip depends on the ability of the Palestinian people to achieve unity and their own internal arrangements. Abandoning this will make it consistently difficult for the international community to directly address the issues in the Gaza Strip. And meanwhile, after the ceasefire, Israel may continue to impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip, which will lead to more violence and exacerbate the internal chaos within Palestine." Gaza Strip - Recent: 5. Various of displaced people; damaged buildings; rubbles. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]