Israel’s opposition leader and the families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza called on Tuesday for an end to the war in the Palestinian territory, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that a truce had been reached after 12 days of conflict during which Israeli and US forces struck Iranian nuclear facilities.
“And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” wrote Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, on X.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of those abducted in the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, also pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We call on the government to engage in urgent negotiations that will bring home all the hostages and end the war. Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,” the group said in a statement.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s assault in October 2023, 49 remain in captivity in Gaza, with the Israeli military stating that 27 of them are believed to be dead.
Meanwhile, Qatar—a key mediator between Israel and Hamas—said it was working to revive negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza. “We are still continuing our efforts, and God willing, we will try to look for an opportunity during the next two days for indirect negotiations between the two parties,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog suggested that the ceasefire with Iran presented “a great opportunity” to foster unity at home following months of bitter division over the Gaza war, though he stopped short of explicitly calling for a halt to the fighting in Gaza. “I believe this can be a moment of goodwill and national agreement on many painful issues,” Herzog said while visiting the site of an Iranian missile strike in southern Israel.
Foreign leaders also voiced hope that the fragile truce with Iran could pave the way for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli troops have been engaged in heavy fighting for over 20 months. “Today… the moment has come to conclude a ceasefire for Gaza,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the German parliament.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority also welcomed the ceasefire announcement with Iran, urging that it be extended to Gaza, where famine conditions and deadly Israeli shootings around aid centres continue to worsen, according to UN agencies.
“The Palestinian presidency welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement,” said a statement from President Mahmud Abbas’s office. “We demand the completion of this step by achieving a ceasefire that includes the Gaza Strip.”
The Hamas attack in October 2023 that triggered the recent conflict left 1,219 people dead, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s bombardment in Gaza has killed at least 56,077 people, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry, which the United Nations, and several international organisations consider credible.
