A RALLY took place at the International Wall in West Belfast on Wednesday night after a Gaza ceasefire deal was announced.

The first phase of the deal will see an initial six-week pause in fighting and the release of some hostages captured by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

The deal is set to come into effect on Sunday, but fighting has continued. And Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be suffering last-minute doubts about the deal as he faces furious opposition from far-right members of his coalition government.

Gaza's civil defence agency says at least 20 Palestinians have been killed since the deal was announced on Wednesday evening.

The deal has been welcomed by political leaders across the world, including in Ireland.

South Belfast and Mid Down MP Claire Hanna said: “This is the news that we have been waiting for and I sincerely hope this is not a false dawn. It has been a long and brutal road to get here and the amount of destruction, bloodshed and loss of human life has been utterly devastating. What people in Gaza went through is unimaginable and my thoughts are with them tonight as their nightmare hopefully begins to end, as they are with families who experienced the horror of loss through the wicked actions of Hamas on October 7.

“The actions of the Israeli government during this latest period of conflict has been horrific, but in no way excuse Hamas and the harm they have caused to their own people. The rehabilitation of Gaza’s services and infrastructure is an enormous task which the global community must pull together and support.

“Given all that we have seen in that region a two-state solution may seem further away than ever, but it is the only viable route to long-term peace. The violence that has destroyed so many lives on both sides of this conflict has proven to be futile and must never be repeated.”

Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald said the ceasefire must be the starting point of a just and lasting peace and the realisation of an independent Palestinian state. 

She said that the immediate priority must be to drastically increase humanitarian aid into Gaza to alleviate the catastrophe that Israel has inflicted on the Palestinian people.

“The announcement of a ceasefire is welcome," she said.

"The joy with which the announcement was met by the people of Gaza is a reflection of their immense suffering.

"They have endured fifteen months of genocide, the slaughter of entire generations of families, mass displacement, the destruction of their communities, the obliteration of their school and hospitals, and starvation. Israel, with impunity, has committed the most brutal war crimes and human rights violations in full sight of the world.

"There must now be an urgent and drastic increase in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

“This ceasefire must see an immediate end to the brutality and a durable cessation of Israel’s war on a civilian, refugee population. I welcome that the deal will secure the release of hostages held by Israel and Hamas.

“The international community must see to it that this is the starting point of a just and lasting peace and the realisation of an independent Palestinian state. The primacy of international law must be restored, necessitating the dismantling of Israel's systems of occupation and apartheid. 

“If Israel continues to flout international law, it must face appropriate sanctions. For Ireland this means the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill at the earliest opportunity. Israel must also be held to account for its horrific war crimes.

“The ordinary people of Ireland have protested and marched in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine as they endured this horror.

"We now stand with them in the hope that this brutal nightmare is ending and that they and their children can look forward to a future of peace, freedom, human rights and justice. The world has a duty and a moral obligation to ensure that this future is achieved.”