Gaza deal draws mixed reaction in UK, with implementation, Israel’s accountability both questioned

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - There has been a mixed reaction to the Gaza cease-fire agreement in the UK, with some expressing concern about the full implementation of the deal announced late Wednesday evening, some questioning Israel's accountability for its genocidal killings of Palestinians over the last 15 months, and others welcoming the end of the bloodbath.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced late Wednesday evening that mediators had reached a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip and that its implementation would begin this Sunday.

In an interview with Anadolu, Aisha, a pro-Palestine activist, said no one is celebrating the cease-fire at the moment, saying much more detail is needed and it needs to be "properly implemented."

"We're not celebrating by any stretch; it's far too early to celebrate; there's so much to mourn," she noted.

Stressing that tens of thousands of lives have been lost in Gaza, with thousands of children missing, Aisha noted that there are more amputees in the Gaza Strip than anywhere else in the world.

"We've got starvation being used as a weapon of war. We've got the whole of Gaza decimated, its environment decimated, its infrastructure decimated, a plausible genocide that's yet to stop."

She added, "Really, there needs to be accountability, not just for Zionist Israeli leaders, who were very clear that what they intended to carry out was a genocide, that they then have gone ahead and carried out present tense, not past tense; it's still happening."

Aisha went on to say that Israel's Western allies, including the UK, US, and EU, must be held accountable for their support of Israel.

Nick, a British citizen, told Anadolu that any cease-fire that stops bombing is "wonderful," but he is concerned about the future.

"(US President-elect Donald) Trump has already said that if (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu agrees to this cease-fire, Trump has no problem in the future if Netanyahu ever wants to go back in and recommence the bombing of Gaza."

He believed that by the cease-fire agreement, Trump would give Israel the "right to take over the West Bank... so the cease-fire would be a disaster."

Nick added that there is "no point for a cease-fire without justice for the Palestinians."

"There has to be justice and a just peace for the Palestinians to live at peace with their own integrity, their own governance in their own country of Palestine," he said.

Nick added that Israel has reneged on every single treaty that has been negotiated since 1948 with Palestine.

Ahmad, a Palestinian living in London, welcomed the cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel, calling it "good news."

"We need peace, and this is a good step, very good," he added, thanking Qatar and Egypt for their role in the mediation.

While stressing Israel's accountability for war crimes in Gaza, he emphasized the need for justice for all Palestinians.

"So, we need to see Netanyahu in jail, prosecuted for all the war crimes."

Ahmad added, "There is injustice in Palestine, and it's been going (on) for more than 75 years, and it's a big burden on a lot of people, mentally, physically, (and) financially. So we need to see a cease-fire, and we need to see a free Palestine."

The cease-fire comes on day 467 of Israel's indiscriminate campaign against Gaza, which has killed over 46,700 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed in that attack, and about 250 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 11,000 Palestinians have gone missing amid the sweeping destruction caused by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many Palestinians, young and old alike, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.​​​​​​​