On the evening of Wednesday 15 January, European leaders welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
By 16 January, however, the agreement had already been undermined by Israeli allegations that Hamas was backtracking on certain elements of the agreement. The Israeli government still has to ratify the agreement, which comprises three phases. The first concerns a truce, which would begin on Sunday 19 January, the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages...