CAIRO, April 7. /TASS/. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II called for restoring the Gaza ceasefire deal from January 19, according to a declaration from their meeting in Cairo.
"In the context of the resumption of Israeli military strikes on Gaza, they called for an immediate return to the ceasefire, for the sake of the Palestinians to be protected and receive immediate and full humanitarian aid. They called for the implementation of the January 19th exchange deal guaranteeing the release of all hostages and detainees and ensuring security for all," the declaration said.
"Protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel as well as full access for the delivery of aid is an obligation under international law and international humanitarian law and must be upheld," the leaders said, according to the declaration.
In mid-January, Israel and Hamas agreed to release the hostages from Gaza and establish a ceasefire in the enclave, in a deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US. The three-phase deal took effect on January 19, and its first phase wrapped up on March 1. As the phase one was underway, the sides were supposed to agree on phase two, but that didn’t happen.
On March 18, Israel resumed fighting in Gaza, putting an end to a ceasefire, which had been in place since January, with massive strikes on the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the move came after Hamas rejected the proposals that were put forward by mediators and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The office stated that Israel sought to secure the release of all hostages. Hamas blamed the US and Israel for the renewed hostilities.
According to the latest data from Israel, Hamas continues to hold 59 hostages in Gaza, including Maxim Harkin, a native of Donbass, whose close relatives are Russian nationals.