ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday welcomed a ceasefire accord reached between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of bloodshed that has devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.

The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed since October 2023. Hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

If successful, the ceasefire will halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza, killed over 46,000 people and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million, according to Gaza authorities. That in turn could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.

“It is hoped that the truce would lead to permanent ceasefire and help in scaling up humanitarian assistance,” the foreign office said in a statement, calling for the “immediate and full implementation” of the ceasefire accord. 

Islamabad, which does not recognize nor have diplomatic ties with Israel, said “indiscriminate” use of force by Israeli forces had caused unprecedented loss of lives and property and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians while its “expansionist designs” had destabilized the entire Middle East region.

“Pakistan reiterates its support for a just, comprehensive, and durable solution to the Palestinian issue, leading to the establishment of a sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the statement said. 

At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday. Negotiators were working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the agreement, he said.

“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the [Israeli] hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” US President Joe Biden said in Washington.

Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.

While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel’s military escalated attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.

Heavy Israeli bombardment, especially in Gaza City, killed 32 people late on Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued early on Thursday and destroyed houses in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.

Israel’s military made no immediate comment and there were no reports of Hamas attacks on Israel after the ceasefire announcement.

A Palestinian official close to the ceasefire negotiations said mediators were seeking to persuade both sides to suspend hostilities ahead of the ceasefire going into effect, Reuters reported.

With inputs from Reuters